community groups Archives - Blackpool Social Club

23 Jul

Review: Women Rockin’ Harmony Choir Summer Concert

Linda Hampton0 CommentsMusic & GigsBlackpool, choir, community, community groups, concert, entertainment, live music, Music, performance, singing

The Urban Arts Studio in St Annes burst into life in July when a choir of ladies with a big rockin’ attitude sung their way through an appealing menu of some of the most iconic rock songs by female artists. It was a sold-out house at this cosy St Annes venue for the first full-length concert by the Women Rockin’ Harmony Choir, based in Bispham. Experienced choir director Tanya Laurence has been putting this group of singing women through their paces since she formed the choir in February 2022. For all us would-be rock chicks the programme was like a…

29 Sep

Calling local creative groups – How well supported do you feel by Arts Council Funded organisations?

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsLocal Newsarts, community, community groups, volunteer, volunteering

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Creative Lives is a registered charity that champions community and volunteer-led creative activity, and works to improve opportunities for everyone to be creative. One of their main areas of work is celebrating and promoting the ways that people express themselves creatively with others, recognising the benefits this kind of activity can bring. Creative Lives is meeting with the Arts Council to share the experiences and needs of the creative voluntary sector and need you to tell them what you think is important. They want to connect the different parts of the cultural landscape, so that everyone has the opportunity to improve their…

08 Jun

Tramshed Theatre: Just can’t get enough

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performancecommunity, community groups, community theatre, performance

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Cast your mind back to 2009: Matt Smith was replacing David Tennant in Doctor Who, Rage Against the Machine was Christmas No.1, the Black-Eyed Peas were dominating our brains with “I Gotta Feeling”, and giant sunglasses and fake tan were an absolute fashion staple. I was 21. Also, I was in a bit of a flap because I was about to leave university with a Drama degree. Bearing in mind that this was during the recession - a time when the news was telling us the job market was not looking good for any soon-to-be graduates, let alone Drama…

26 May

Tramshed Theatre: Writing with Passion

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performancecommunity, community groups, community theatre, performance

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this blog post, we catch up with Tramshed Parent Julie Ellison So, I’m sitting pondering how to start a blog and I think it goes something like this…….. Zac: Julie please can you write a blog for our page Me: Yes, of course not a problem Zac: Julie how is the blog going, I need it by Friday? Me: It’s all in hand…….. I then start to wonder what a BLOG actually is and in true me style turn to Google!! I am reliably informed that it is something like a discussion published on the www. A BLOG…

19 May

Catching up with Tramshed Theatre

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performancecommunity, community groups, community theatre, performance

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Here's our latest update from our friends at Tramshed Theatre. Phoenix Rising from the Ashes Kathleen Paintin, TramShed Member & TramShed Voice When TramShed’s Adult Company performed their physical theatre piece in the 2019 Christmas Show ‘All Together Now’ to Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’, no-one knew how prophetic that song would be. We had no knowledge of the juggernaut COVID-19, the pandemic that was hurtling towards us in the new year that would change all of our lives. TramShed had been a massive part of our lives for thirteen years and when the national lockdown closed everything down including…

05 May

Tramshed Theatre: Resilience!!

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performancecommunity, community groups, community theatre, performance

Most of you will know me as Oscar and Tobias’ mum, but I’m Latrisha. I am always amazed when Zac invites me to be involved as a parent supporter via TramShed Voice or feels people would like to hear my input. Unlike most people in TramShed when the spotlight comes on in my direction, I tend to leg it! The faith he and the volunteers have in me is always humbling. Although often I find it personally challenging. I regularly finish zoom meetings thinking “I can’t do that!!” Then I take things one step at a time and I make…

28 Apr

Tramshed Theatre: Catching up with the members and volunteers

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performancecommunity, community groups, community theatre, performance

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] We catch up with the volunteers from Tramshed Theatre... What’s in the Box? Sophie England What’s in the box is a game we played a lot at TramShed, we’d open an imaginary box and act out what was inside, and others would guess what it was. The game is something I really enjoyed but I never thought the box would become a lot deeper than that. The box became a safe space, a springboard from which we could create friendships, build communities and connect with each-other in a time of uncertainty, to create performances we never thought possible in…

12 Apr

Tramshed Theatre: The Bad and the Good

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performancecommunity, community groups, community theatre, performance

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] This week's blog post is from Tramshed member and volunteer Tiagan Christie. As a volunteer you have to adapt to the changes that can happen in a session, and this year has been the biggest change of all. Going from seeing people face-to-face to seeing people through a screen. As a volunteer the way you support the member is a complete 180 from how you support them face-to-face. In face-to-face you would be able to hug a member if they're feeling upset, whereas online you can't do that. All you can do is ask if they are alright. In…

12 Aug

Mrs Johnson’s PPE Emporium

Jill Reidy0 CommentsLocal NewsBlackpool, community, community groups, coronavirus, Craft, Knitting, lockdown

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] During lockdown – one of the strangest periods in recent history – Susanne Johnson of Mrs Johnson’s Emporium began to make PPE for the local hospital. Jill Reidy asked her about the experience of running Mrs Johnson's PPE Emporium... I know you’ve always been community minded but How did these lockdown projects come about? Knitters, crocheters and sewers are always contributing to good causes with their work. They've 'knitted knockers', made fish and chip baby blankets to send to Africa, traffic-light hats for babies in incubators, poppies for veterans and wrapped homemade scarves around lampposts for the homeless in…

09 Aug

Proposed Wyre Lottery Could Benefit Arts Causes

Jill Reidy0 CommentsLocal Newscommunity, community groups, lottery, lucky, wyre

Local arts charities could be among the beneficiaries of a proposed new lottery. Wyre Council is considering its introduction and is inviting both good causes that could benefit, as well as local residents to have their say on the scheme. It is proposed that tickets will cost £1 and players will have the chance to win up to £25,000 in every weekly draw. Each ticket would consist of six numbers which players can choose, or they can opt for a lucky dip. Money raised through the sale of lottery tickets would then be used to support local charities and community…