Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG

A performing arts project that champions young people to channel their creativity to explore challenging emotional themes, whilst improving mental health through drama, dance and musical composition.

£7,542
Raised of £12,804

44
Backers

23
days left

58%

Back this project

Keep what you raise - this project will receive all pledges made by 14 Jul 2026. Any pledges made by our funding partners will only be released if the project reaches its target by this date.

Updates

39 Donations worth £8601 month ago

40 backers!

40 people have backed Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG!1 month ago

Whoop, 40 people have pledged since fundraising began!

30 backers!

30 people have backed Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG!1 month ago

Whoop, 30 people have pledged since fundraising began!

Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG has reached 50% of its target!1 month ago

55% of the way there!1 month ago

WOW! We are so delighted with the amazing response of our backers - so thank you for all you have done so far! After just 72 hours of fundraising, we hit an amazing 26% of our total funding target and the good news keeps on coming... We have just accepted our pledge of £3782 from KCC's Public Health fund, which should go live on our page in the next few days. This will take us to just over 55% of our total fundraising target! We have also received a generous grant of £250 from the Rotary Club of Folkestone after pitching at their Dragon's Den Event! Our next step is to spread the word even further! If we don't meet our target, we sadly won't receive the vital funds from KCC, but we are as determined as ever. This is where our current backers will be an incredible help. Please do talk about our project with your networks and share the link to pledge. Thank you again for your incredible support! Team Ruff Necks xx

10 backers!

10 people have backed Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG!1 month ago

Whoop, 10 people have pledged since fundraising began!

Cathy Almond pledged £2001 month ago

10 backers!

10 people have backed Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG!1 month ago

Whoop, 10 people have pledged since fundraising began!

Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG has reached 20% of its target!1 month ago

StretchVFX pledged £5001 month ago

https://www.ruffnecks.org/

Born out of a university assignment in 2013, Ruff Necks started out as a theatre in education troupe, delivering workshops on Shakespeare to schools in Folkestone.

13 years on and a wealth of lived experience later, Ruff Necks CIC was redeveloped by active performers and qualified teachers to improve the mental, physical and social wellbeing of disadvantaged young people through the use of drama, dance and music - centred around the works of William Shakespeare.

As a prior school refuser, our founder experienced the challenges that emotional dysregulation can create for young people first hand. The arts quickly became the only safe space within educational settings for her - and the only enticement for attendance. Having access to arts programmes provided the emotional and physical outlet that was needed to take a young woman from being perceived as not academic, to achieving a first class BA (Hons) in Performing Arts and further, a PGCE with distinction.

Having spent the past 5 years teaching in East Folkestone, it was evident to see that mental health and wellbeing has become extremely challenging for young people - with 1 in 5 children reported to have a mental health condition in the UK and children missing from education rising 187% since the pandemic.

The realities of tight school budgets and a freeze in SEND funding mean that interventions are becoming harder to facilitate in schools, with a decreased workforce and a demand for curriculum coverage to be achieved, they are often not taking place at all. However, we know that in order for children to engage in academics, their basic emotional and physical needs must be met first.

Shakespeare Swung is a philanthropic project that aims to provide an emotional and physical outlet for young people through the therapeutic act of performance, whilst removing the associated accessibility issues that larger costs can generate for schools and youth providers. When we are able to embody a character and their feelings and emotions in the most free of movements and vocal expression, we are able to start to reason around and comprehend our own feelings and experiences more easily - all whilst promoting physical activity, team work, resilience and an overwhelming sense of pride and achievement.

Project Owner: Ruff Necks CIC The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.