Community Arts in the High Peak
Every year we open our doors for New Mills Festival and this year it was 20th September, for character creation and a special story for the festival. We were showing films in the back room and the hoards came and created more than 30 characters to star in a super hero film like no other!
On 5th August thirteen young people from Glossop and Buxton joined forces to perform the World Premiere of their interpretation of the popular children’s story by Berlie Doherty.
Here are some thoughts from the audience:
And here is the lovely piece on High Peak Radio, put together by Izaac Cole:
High Peak Community Arts is embarking on a new partnership with Contact Theatre in Manchester, starting with the hosting of a show from their Rural Touring programme funded by the Arts Council. On 3rd June 2014 Contact, NRTF & Sophie Willan presented:
It was aimed at audiences young (13+) and old, preferably together – and this is what we all thought:
“It was absolutely brilliant!”
“Really, really funny!”
“I thought the writing was really profound, the performance was just hilarious…”
“I cried laughing!”
The Novice Detective
3rd June 2014
Providence Church, Mellor Road, New Mills
7.30pm, doors from 7pm
Tickets £6 (£3 under 18s and over 65s, and £12 family ticket), available from High Street Books or on the door.
Phone 01663 744 516 for more information.
We are keen to develop more links with Contact, as brand new, original theatre aimed at a teenage audience is rare in rural towns such as ours – so spread the word and the bigger the audience the greater the chance of more shows coming this way!
High Peak Community Arts have played an active part in the delegation from EMPAF (East Midlands Participatory Arts Forum), travelling to Holland and taking part in the Caravan of Dreams tour in the lead up to the ICAF event itself.
Working over the course of 5 days, with Paul Steele from Junction Arts, Andy Barrett from Excavate and Millie Ferguson from the Core, Corby Cube we visited locations and projects across Holland, which reflected the great range of community and participatory arts active today. We were joined on the Monday before the festival by Julie Batten from People Express, Madeline Holmes from City Arts and Sally Norman from Soft Touch, and compiled our thoughts and finding as we went, onto the EMPAF Caravan of Dreams blog:
www.empafcaravanofdreams.blogspot.co.uk
We also recorded clips and interviews from each location – which the EMPAF network are using to reflect on the experience over a longer period.
Here are two of Sophie’s blog posts, to give a flavour of the trip:
We are delighted with our new champion, Dame Joan Bakewell, who was born and educated in Stockport. She is one of the country’s foremost journalists and broadcasters and was awarded a life peerage in 2010. She has a special interest in the arts and the elderly, and said:
“I am delighted to give High Peak Community Arts my support. Their work is so thoroughly worthwhile and their zeal for their projects exactly what is needed. I hope they go from strength to strength.”
This is a fantastic way to celebrate our 35th year of working with those who have least access to arts and culture, the hard to reach and isolated individuals and groups in the community.
Dawn Bryan, our Chair of Trustees said :
“We are delighted to have such a patron. It is a real boost to all our workers and those who continue to benefit from our projects. It’s a lovely way to celebrate our 35 years and we are very grateful to Dame Joan for her support and encouragement”
http://knightayton.co.uk/female-presenters/joan-bakewell
Our award from the National Youth Agency! High Peak Community Arts has achieved a national award in recognition of our commitment to listen to and act on the views of young people and involve them in our decision making processes.
The National Youth Agency Hear by Right Award was launched in 2010 to provide organisations that put young people’s voices at the heart of service delivery and development with the opportunity to gain national recognition for their achievements.
The Award is evaluated at three levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold – and we have achieved recognition at Silver level, one of only four organisations across the country to hold this level.
Our chair of trustees, Dawn Bryan commented “We are delighted that our work with young has received national recognition. It is vital that we listen to and act upon their ideas, so that they are empowered in all walks of life.”
We’ve challenged ourselves to find roles for young people in all areas of the organisation, from working in the office on Work Experience placements, to evening meetings where they decide on the direction of projects, and even active fund raising to keep projects going. It’s important for a young person to be able to take part in whatever way works for them – whether it’s a one off experience at a community event, weekly participation on a project or even developing leadership skills and helping their peers.
Billy Lancaster, a member of our Shout Action team, said “It is interesting to see how decisions are made, and sometimes it’s good to get your views across on things that you think are working or not working. It’s good.”
Fiona Blacke, National Youth Agency chief executive, says: “Embedding youth participation into the development of services is not only best practice, but vital to ensuring provision is relevant to local needs.
“Many congratulations on achieving our Silver Hear by Right Award, which really demonstrates your commitment to young people’s active involvement within your organisation.”
Shout Action is our young film makers group, and since the success of their first film, Super Chowder, the group have been fund-raising to launch their next film idea. They have run events, spoken at local meetings and have used the website, Crowdfunder, to spread the campaign across their community through social media networks.
This week they are celebrating reaching their target of £500, with nine backers using the website to pledge their support. Shout Action member, Billy, said “We have run bag-packing, busking and had our own Super Hero fund raising day, and we are really grateful to everyone who has supported us.”
Boosted by their achievement, plans are underway to put together a schedule for pre-production, filming and completing the new film.
The group has already received a day of training, by Manchester-based film maker, Matt Kowalczuk, and the new funds will allow them to pay for him to visit the project at key points. Taking the group’s ideas and understanding, Matt’s expertise will guide them through potential pitfalls and show them new techniques to create a film of high quality.
Another Shout Action member, Mia, said “we enjoyed our first film making experience and got a lot out of it, in confidence and being creative. We want other young people of other ages around our town to have the same experience as well.”
Have you ever jumped the Heroic Hurdles in a Cape of Courage? Or dodged the Dodgeball of Destiny to reach the Gate of the Greats? Then Super Hero Day could be all the bank holiday fun you need, from the young people of the Shout Action Project.
Shout Action is a group of around 15 young film makers from New Mills, and they are fundraising for their next film-making project. With help from High Peak Community Arts they have already launched a Crowdfunder campaign on www.crowdfunder.co.uk
, and this event will contribute to their target to raise money for a professional film maker to help them on their next project.
Super Hero Day will appear at New Mills Primary School on Saturday 4th May from 11am – 3pm. Come along to take part in all things Super Hero; watch their first film ‘Super Chowder’, have your fantasy portrait taken; compete in the fancy dress competition (Super Heroes only, please) and try your skills on the assault course. There will be refreshments on sale and a special guest appearance from The Evil Hunicorn himself. Free entry with activities priced from 50p – £2 (or get the all inclusive ticket for £4, or £10 family ticket!). For more information call Sophie at High Peak Community Arts on 01663 744 516
Two projects for the Youth Arts Programme will be getting off the ground this year, having recently received much needed funding from Children in Need and Youth Music.
The Film Cuts Club began life as a pilot in Glossopdale Community College, Learning Support Base, over 2 years ago. The short programme produced the animated film “The Dark Devil” and showed great benefits for the young people who took part. The team at the school were so pleased with the results that we worked together to write an extended programme which could go to other schools in the area as well. Children in Need asked us to make certain changes and re-submit our application, but now they have committed 3 years of funding to help us spread the benefits to three schools in the High Peak. Click here for more information on our plans.
At the same time we have been working with the Peak and Dales Support Centre in Chapel en le Frith, to design a one year programme of music activity. The centre is the only Key Stage 4 Pupil Referral Unit in the High Peak and they are in desperate need of new tools to broaden the education they can offer the pupils registered there. The Music POD will launch in September, click here for more information.