Community Post Type: Callouts

St Helens Concert Band have received funding to provide a limited number of concerts in 2026 for charitable or non-profit making groups in the Merseyside area.

If you have an event where you think a concert band would help with your fund-raising or just strengthen your community do get in touch to discuss. St Helens Concert Band is a 25 strong wind band – they can play indoors or outdoors (under cover preferably). You supply the venue, and 25 chairs – they will do the rest.

Send an e-mail to Keith at puychaudko@yahoo.co.uk.

ArtsGroupie are pleased to announce the launch of the Gillian Smith Travel Writing Prize, in honour of the late ArtsGroupie CIC Director and Co-Founder.

Jill, as we knew her, was an avid traveller. Some of her favourite places to visit being Venice, and New York City. To remember the life of their jet-setting friend, they’re launching this annual non-fiction creative writing prize.

THE PRIZE:

– The first place winner will receive a prize worth £500. This includes £300 cash, and a 1-2-1 mentoring session with independent publisher Fly on the Wall worth £200.
– Two runners-up will receive £50 book tokens each.
– Both the winner and runners-up will have their work read aloud at a final celebratory event. Venue to be announced.

RULES:

– Entries must be non-fiction and therefore reflect real places.
– Entries must be a minimum of 500 words, and a maximum of 1000 words.
– Creative work must be human written. AI generated works will be automatically disqualified.
– All entries must be received by 31st March 2026.

TO ENTER:

Send 500-1000 creative words to artgroupie@outlook.com, which captures the essence of a place you have travelled to. This place can be national or abroad, but should reflect a place that is not local to you.

Send to: artgroupie@outlook.com

WITH THANKS:

Prize funds were raised generously by family and friends of Jill in lieu of flowers at her memorial. They thank everyone who donated to ArtsGroupie, and the generosity of Jill’s family for arranging it.

The Whitechapel Centre, Liverpool’s leading homeless charity, and Liverpool Cathedral play an important role in the life of the city helping those living without a home or living in poverty. They want as many children and young people to get involved in an exciting and challenging fundraising event to raise money to help those in need in our city.

Their Cathedral Sleepout on Friday 10th April will be a fairytale themed fun event ideal for all the family!
Settle in for a family night of games, fun and adventure. Build a fairytale castle for your bed!
Know you’re helping two local charities – Liverpool Cathedral and the Whitechapel Centre.

Everyone needs to have a place to call home but, sadly, not everyone in our city has this. Liverpool Cathedral and The Whitechapel Centre are working hard with those people who need a place to call home and help them reach their full potential. By spending just one night sleeping in Liverpool Cathedral to raise money, you’ll be ensuring they can help as many people as possible.

All you need to do is bring a responsible adult and ask your family and friends to sponsor you to raise a target of £50. It costs £5* per person

https://www.liverpoolcathedralsleepout.org/

The Cultivate Halton Petraits Project is looking for an artist to create live dog sketches or caricatures at their much-loved Fun Dog Show, celebrating the wonderful community of responsible dog owners who help keep their Green safe and beautiful for everyone to enjoy.

EVENT DETAILS

Fun Dog Show
Saturday 16 May, 12.30–3.30pm

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Create quick dog portraits live at the show
• Showcase your artwork to a large, friendly audience
• Take commissions on the day
• Be part of a follow-up virtual pet portrait exhibition
(pets of all kinds welcome!)

WHO THEY’RE LOOKING FOR

An artist who can offer:
• Quick sketches or caricatures of dogs
• A warm, approachable style suitable for a public event

HOW TO APPLY

Email anne.brennan@yahoo.com with:

• Examples of your work
• Brief outline of what you would do at the event
• Your fee for the activity

Subject line: Petraits
Closing date: Friday, 27 February

Funded by Wellcome and administered by Do it Now Now, Innovate Now is a pioneering grant and capacity-building programme that will provide multi-year funding to Black-led initiatives impacting the lives of Black researchers.

Grantees will receive multi-year funding of up to £48,000 for up to three years to boost their long-term resilience. They’ll also receive guidance to strengthen governance and internal systems, develop leadership skills and connect with peers.

For more details and how to apply, visit here

Closing date: 25 March

St Edward’s College, Liverpool. will be hosting a Careers Fair on Tuesday 17th March 2026, an event designed to broaden pupils’ understanding of the world of work and inspire them as they consider their future pathways.

The set-up will involve a variety of stalls (where different companies and organisations with be stationed), which pupils from year 7 – 13 will have the opportunity walk around, asking questions and learning about the career opportunities available to them.

To make this day as meaningful and informative as possible, we are seeking volunteers who would be willing to attend, to speak with pupils about their careers, industries, and experiences. This may involve answering questions, providing real-world insight, or simply giving pupils the opportunity to understand a wider range of professions.

The event will run throughout the school day, but we warmly welcome volunteers who are able to attend for any amount of time. Every contribution is valued and will help enrich the experience for our learners.

If you are able to support them and would like more information, please register your interest using the link below.

Registration link: Careers Fair 2026 – Fill out form

For six years, Future Yard has been proving what’s possible when music is treated as a transformational force. From hosting almost 900 shows to welcoming over 120,000 audience members; from Mercury Prize winners to as-yet-unheard local talent, Future Yard has brought the world to Birkenhead – and presented Birkenhead back to the world.

But now, they’re full. Demand has outgrown their 280-capacity live room. Shows are oversubscribed. Training programmes are limited by space. And yet, they are presented with a once-in-a-generation opportunity. It’s time to Build Our Future – together.

Build Our Future is a chance for the whole community around Future Yard to come together and help shape the next chapter, through fundraising, sharing successes and imagining a new way of doing things in an expanded new space.

The crowdfunding campaign will enable their local community to support the construction of a new, indoor venue and 12 flexible studio spaces at their venue on Argyle Street. This expansion will enable Future Yard to host more shows, host higher-profile artists, create more opportunities for emerging talent and expand their training programmes and education work for local people.

Unlocking the power of music to create a better future, for generations to come

A major part of this campaign is 48-Hour Party People: a continuous, 48-hour live gig, starting at 6pm on Friday 6th March, running through to 6pm on Sunday 8th March.

The 48 hour spectacular will showcase the full breadth of their community-led activity; celebrating amazing local artists, the emerging regional music scene, their Mosh Tots, New Noise, Sound Check and Propeller programmes, plus our partnerships with local schools.

Details are still to come on how you can attend this incredible event – but for now, they’re looking to hear from anyone who wants to perform as part of this incredible event. If you’re an artist who has played before, used theirr studios, attended one of their Propeller sessions or been part of the New Noise programme, they’d love to hear from you! Click here to register your interest to play.

They also want to hear from schools in Wirral – both primary and secondary – about having a presence at this event. Additionally, if you work on a project that you feel would be a good fit for this, pleased drop them a line.

CONTACT: 48hourpartypeople@futureyard.org

After receiving hundreds of nominations, the expert panel of judges have chosen six fantastic finalists for the 2026 People’s Choice Award in the Liverpool City Region Culture & Creativity Awards. The nominations include members of Liverpool’s Culture Network: Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, Shakespeare North Playhouse and Unity Theatre.

The six finalists who face the public vote for the coveted title of People’s Choice – Outstanding Contribution to Culture in this year’s Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards are:

• Alder Hey’s Arts for Health
• Liverpool Arab Arts Festival
• Liverpool Sound City
• PopVox Choir
• Shakespeare North Playhouse
• The Unity Theatre

Their finalists represent the best the region has to offer for their contribution to Culture and Creativity.

The People’s Choice Award is the ONLY award to be chosen by the public – so they need your help to decide the winner!

Voting closes Tuesday 3rd March, so vote now before it’s too late! Visit here to vote

Liverpool Theatre School, one of the city’s most prestigious performing arts schools, is inviting talented performers aged 16 and over to audition for its renowned professional training programmes in dance and musical theatre.

The centre of excellence, which has launched the careers of countless stars, is looking for the next generation of professional performers to join its elite, high level training courses starting in September. Recent graduates have gone on to work as professional dancers and performers in West End productions and national tours such as Six, Mamma Mia!, Blood Brothers, Wicked and Frozen the Musical.

Training at Liverpool Theatre School is designed to reflect the expectations of the professional performing arts industry. Students receive intensive performance tuition, ranging from West End style musical theatre to commercial and contemporary dance, alongside specialist coaching in audition technique and career preparation.

Maxine Ellis, Principal at Liverpool Theatre School, said: “If you live and breathe dance or musical theatre, this is your chance to train professionally and turn your passion into a career. We focus on developing strong, versatile performers who are confident in auditions and ready for the professional stage.

“Auditions are open to all committed young people with talent, ambition and a genuine love of performing. Whether your strengths are in singing, acting or dancing, if you think you’ve got what it takes to pursue a career in the industry, we want to hear from you. We’re looking for performers with star quality, natural talent and the determination to grow.”

Successful applicants will train in an inspiring and supportive environment, with small class sizes led by experienced industry professionals and regular performance opportunities on local and national stages. Liverpool Theatre School actively encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds and awards a number of fully funded places and bursaries every year to make professional training more accessible.

Liverpool Theatre School, whose patrons include Wayne Sleep OBE and Anita Dobson, offers Level 5 and Level 6 Diploma courses in Dance and a Level 6 Diploma in Musical Theatre, accredited by Trinity College London, as well as BTEC courses in Dance, Musical Theatre and Performing Arts.

Alongside elite training for full-time students, Liverpool Theatre School also offers coaching for under-16s through its Junior Academy. The school, which has been nurturing young talent for more than 85 years, is based on the edge of the creative quarter at Liverpool Central Studios, 35 Sefton Street, Liverpool, L8 5SL.

Auditions will take place at Liverpool Theatre School on 1 March and 26 April. Performers interested in auditioning should register online at liverpooltheatreschool.co.uk.

DaDa is an innovative and cutting edge disability and Deaf arts organisation based in Liverpool that was established in 1984. Their vision is simple; ‘Equity and Excellence in the Cultural landscape’. They work to provide artists and audiences with opportunities to try, develop and become a part of the arts and of their story.

Are you a young disabled musician ready to make noise, make some new friends and further develop your musical talent?

DaDa is launching a brand new ensemble project for 2026, bringing together young disabled musicians from across the Liverpool City Region to create, collaborate and perform in an inclusive, accessible, and professionally supported space. This is about confidence, creativity and showing what’s possible when talent gets the support it deserves.

The first ensemble runs from 2 March 2026 through to the summer, meeting every Monday during term time at Resonate Music Hub in Liverpool. Open to disabled musicians aged 14–25, the project offers inclusive ensemble sessions, mentoring from specialist music practitioners and real performance opportunities, whether you’re just starting out or already writing and performing your own work.

Applications are now open, so if you want to be part of something exciting, supportive and creatively ambitious, this is your moment. The project is free to join.

To find out more or apply, email info@dadafest.co.uk and join a growing community of young artists. Please indicate your age, a bit about your musical experience and any access requirements when you get in touch.

They are seeking you disabled musicians of all ability levels. You must be 14-25, identify as Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent and live in the Liverpool City Region