Hi there,
Message from the NAAC Chair, Davinder Singh Virdi
Welcome to this first Chair’s Update for 2025. I am pleased to share some of the progress we’ve made and highlight key developments shaping our work this year. NAAC has continued to deliver a vibrant programme of festivals, wellbeing activities, education initiatives and the Music and Dance Academy, which remains a valued platform for participation and artistic development. These activities reinforce our purpose as Nottingham’s only dedicated South Asian Arts organisation and demonstrate the reach, relevance and resilience of our work within the community.
In recent years, NAAC has undergone significant structural change, responding to wider pressures and modernising our approach. One important development has been our Collaboration and integration within the Museums & Galleries Directorate (Nottingham City Council), helping to stabilise core activity and maintain continuity at a challenging time. This transition has supported our movement from uncertainty to a more resilient and strategically focused position, and we are now looking ahead with greater confidence.
Alongside this, we have experienced changes within our Board. The sad loss of long-standing members and retirement of others, we remain deeply appreciative of the commitment and passion shown by those who have supported NAAC over the years. These changes also offer an important opportunity to renew and strengthen our governance arrangements, ensuring the organisation has the skills and leadership it needs for the future.
We are therefore seeking expressions of interest from individuals with relevant skills and experience for the following Board roles, all of which are voluntary positions contributing to the strategic leadership and future development of NAAC:
- Finance Director
- Company Secretary
- Fundraising & Investment Director
- Marketing Director
- Communities Director
These roles will help ensure NAAC has the capacity and expertise to support long-term organisational development, financial sustainability and community impact. We welcome interest from people across diverse professional and cultural backgrounds who share our values and want to support South Asian Arts in Nottingham.
Looking forward, our priorities include strengthening operational capacity, sustaining high-quality programming and building financial resilience through diversified funding and targeted investment. This means continuing to identify new income sources, exploring partnership opportunities and investing in systems that support sustainable growth. Recent financial results show increased revenues, stronger reserves and improved liquidity, placing NAAC in a stronger position to invest in development and deliver our cultural ambitions. While the wider environment remains challenging, NAAC has moved from stabilisation to measured growth and now holds a more secure financial foundation.
As we build on this progress, we will remain focused on expanding access to South Asian Arts, promoting creative excellence and strengthening community participation. We will also explore opportunities to diversify activity, deepen engagement and enhance our role as a cultural leader within Nottingham and surrounding Districts.
I would like to thank our partners, artists, volunteers and wider community for their dedication and support. The strength of NAAC lies in our shared belief in the value of the arts and our commitment to ensuring they continue to flourish across our communities.
Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to sharing more updates throughout the new year.
Davinder S Virdi
Chair, Nottingham Asian Arts Association (NAAC)
NAAC Music & Dance Academy
Please note that our NAAC Music & Dance Academy classes restart on Wednesday 7 January 2026 from 5:30pm-8:00pm back at Radford Academy, Denman Street West, Radford, Nottingham NG7 3FL.
We are also looking to restart Bharatnatyam and Folk dance classes (Bhangra, Giddha & Garba) and would like all of you to please try and publicise the classes as much as possible. Do let us know if you want the NAAC to provide any specific workshops and or events or if you are interested in teaching; within reason and resources allowing, we will try to oblige. Hope to see all our current and new students back at the classes.
Our Academy students are given the opportunity to participate at loads of local events organised by NAAC and other organisations...so come along and be that budding star!
For full details, use this link to download the poster...
Registration Form...
January - March 2026 Term Dates...
For directions to the Academy use this link..
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