Community Post Type: Callouts

The aim of the study is to explore the views of different professionals who support the mental health of children and young people about how they can improve access to arts activities.

This will inform the work of the wider Arts4Us project which aims to develop an easy-to-use digital platform where evidence-based local arts activities can be made accessible for children and young people, their families and relevant organisations and services.

Who can take part 

They are looking to hear from individuals who work directly with children and young people who are experiencing, or at risk of, mental health challenges from the following contexts:

• Health and social care
• Education
• Arts and cultural organisations
• Local Authorities
• Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprises (VCFSE)

How to get involved 

Please take part in a short questionnaire by following this link: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/edgehill/the-views-of-frontline-staff-on-how-to-improve-access-to-arts-a

 

Be part of history on 12 July: International Day of Hope

Under the theme ‘Hope Lives Here’, Liverpool joins cities including London, New York and Johannesburg in shining a spotlight on positive change and collective action on the first-ever UN International Day of Hope.

This bold celebration of climate, culture, and community is to counteract how the world is reeling, how despair fills our airwaves and social feeds. We all need to turn the volume up on hope.

In Liverpool it is powered by Hope St CIC and 2030hub. Internationally launched by Project Everyone and artist Yinka Ilori. Even the smallest act of random kindness can create change!

More info here.

The British Science Festival Community Grants Programme 2025 is now open for applications.

The British Science Association (BSA) want to support, grow and diversify the community of people who are interested and involved in science. Science is closely linked to creativity and involves some similar disciplines and approaches. Creativity is essential in science as it drives innovation and problem-solving, allowing scientists to develop new theories and technologies.

About The British Science Festival Community Grants Programme 2025

They are providing grants of up to £1000 to community groups/organisations based in the Liverpool City region that work directly with audiences who are traditionally underrepresented and currently not engaged in science activity. They want to empower and support community groups to run their own science activities as part of the British Science Festival, enabling new local audiences to engage with science.

Background to the grants programme 

Each year, the BSA provides grants to community groups/organisations in the festival host city that work directly with audiences who are traditionally underrepresented and currently not engaged in science activity.

They want to empower and support community groups to run their own science activities as part of the British Science Festival, enabling new local audiences to engage with science. These events can take place anytime from August through to November.

If you have any questions about this year’s grants scheme, please get in touch with the British Science Festival team, at festival@britishscienceassociation.org

If you are part of a community group or organisation, you might also be interested in joining the BSA Community Engagement Network. Find out more here.

2025 Grant Guidelines 

The British Science Festival, coordinated by the British Science Association (BSA), is Europe’s longest-standing national event which connects people with scientists, engineers, technologists and social scientists. Thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in science and to engage in open discussion about issues that affect our culture and society.

This year the Festival will take place in Liverpool from 10 – 14 September 2025, hosted by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University.

What are the criteria? 

To be eligible for a grant, you must represent or have existing connections to a community-based group or organisation that works directly with audiences who are traditionally underrepresented and currently not engaged in science activity. For this scheme, groups that are underrepresented in science include:

• People living in communities which face deprivation
• People from minoritised ethnic backgrounds
• People in faith/religious communities
• Disabled people, including neurodivergent people
• LGBTQI+ people, including diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity
• Women (if the project is linked to physics or IT in particular)
• People uninterested in science
• People who are interested in science but do not engage in science

They will prioritise events targeting adults (ages 16+), in line with the target audience of the British Science Festival. 

* For community groups that work with girls and women, we prioritise those who work with at least one other underrepresented group.

They are keen to support events that demonstrate how science is a wider part of culture. They will also prioritise events that are embedded in the local community and ones that will have a legacy, providing a way for those involved to continue their engagement with science.

What type of event/activity could you run? 

This grant scheme aims to recognise the expertise of community leaders in working with their local audiences. We are therefore keen to hear what activities you think would work best for engaging your audiences with science.

If you are stuck for inspiration, you can read case studies from the British Science Festival 2023 Community Grant recipients. In addition, here are a few examples of previously funded events to demonstrate the range of activities that we support:

• workshops exploring the fascinating world of mosses and discovering the vital roles that they play in responding to the climate and ecological emergencies
• workshops about local research and broader topics in astrophysics and astronomy, whilst carrying out creative activities with space-themed refreshments
• activity sessions exploring the science of remote sensing archaeology through the history of their local area.
• workshops hacking toys to create unique musical instruments and sound generators, whilst learning about electrical circuits and how sound is generated electronically.
• the first ever Exeter Tomato Festival, promoting tomato diversity and demonstrating the seed saving and the fermentation process that is part of saving tomato seeds, whilst highlighting the science of taste, and encouraging people to grow-their-own.

 
What can the grant money be spent on?

Grant money can be used for the following:

Materials and equipment required for the event
Refreshments and room hire
Publicity
AV hire
Reasonable volunteer expenses
Speakers, trainers and freelancers
Project specific staff costs – salaries or fees for people who are essential to the project and whose salaries are not already covered by another grant
Transport or other costs associated with planning, promoting and delivering your activities.
However, the majority of the grant cannot be spent on refreshments or project specific staff costs.

Grant money cannot be spent on:

Large competition prizes
On-going staff costs
Costs that are already covered by other funding
General running costs and overheads that are paid for by other income.
What will we ask for in your application?

You will be asked to provide the following information in your application:

your organisation’s address and postcode;
a brief description of your organisation, including the audiences/users you work with (200 words maximum);
your event date and location;
a general description of the event (300 words maximum);
a description of your event objectives, including how your event will meet your audience’s needs and how you will ensure their engagement (300 words maximum);
a rough budget outline (ideally in bullet points) of costs associated with the event and how the grant money will be used (200 words maximum);
your organisation’s bank details, including account name, number and sort code.
If there are any potential conflicts of interest, for example if you are already contributing to the British Science Festival or are connected with the British Science Association, Liverpool John Moores University or University of Liverpool.
Deadlines and payments

The closing date for applications is Monday 28th July, at 5pm.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by email by the end of July. If successful, applicants may be asked to confirm their bank details as part of our ongoing due diligence checks. If you receive an email or phone call requesting confirmation, you must respond and confirm your bank details within 3 working days. Grant payments will then be paid directly into the nominated bank account at the start of August.

Financial information is stored on a secure cloud-based service and will only be used to pay successful grant applicants. Unused details will be deleted. Providing your account details at this stage allows us to pay successful grant applicants immediately, making it easier to organise events.

How to apply

All applications must be made online via a short application form.

When completing the application form, please ensure that your email address and telephone number are correct. As we will communicate with you primarily by email, please ensure you give an email address that is checked regularly by the person who applies for the grant.

They encourage applicants to contact the British Science Festival team if you have any questions regarding the application process or are looking for support in developing your event idea. Please email festival@britishscienceassociation.org.

This year, The Atkinson’s annual competition asks you to respond to artworks on display in their 150th Anniversary Exhibition.

Open to anyone aged 18+ with links to Sefton, you may submit one entry of up to 1,000 words. They welcome submissions of poetry, short stories, song lyrics, essays, letters, blogs, zines, or any other form of creative writing.

All competition entries will be featured on The Atkinson’s website. Winners will receive prizes donated by The Arts Society Southport, and their work will be displayed in the Art Gallery for visitors to read and enjoy.

📖 Closing date: 19 October 2025.
🔗 Visit their website to find out more and download an entry form.

Kitty’s Launderette is Crowdfunding!

After 3 years of planning, they’ve had our doors open for 6 years as a hub for their community. Dancing, watching films, knitting and talking whilst washing. However, there was a time where they couldn’t do this…

Less than a year after opening, life was put on pause and the streets were locked down to mitigate the effects of the covid 19 pandemic.

Kitty’s stayed open as a key service for people that didn’t have access to washing facilities at a time where hygiene was of upmost importance. The Launderette as a social space closed and their team did all the washing dropped off at the door, at cost price.

Quickly they recognised that many of their community could not leave their homes at all…

So they partnered up with a local cabbie and bicycle couriers from fellow Coop, Agile by Peloton Liverpool. Together they collected and dropped off laundry for free to those shielding at home all through the pandemic, we built closer relations with their community through these couriers and made sure that no one we knew was left behind.

It’s fair to say with the mountains of laundry they’ve outgrown the bikes…

They learned many valuable things in this time, one being that mobility would give the launderette the ability to be responsive responsive to changing community needs.

Owning their own vehicle enables us to improve on the support they already offer, build on the relationships with partner organisations and provide access to crucial services in Liverpool.

See here to donate

Liverpool Independents Biennial need volunteers to help staff venues.

As this festival grows into what is quickly starting feel like a city-wide studio, there are more and more spaces to invigilate.

If you can donate a day, or half a day per week to give artists the time they need away from their work, and would like to get involved please email volunteering@artinliverpool.com.

Harnessing the Chaos: A Writing Workshop with Keith Saha🌟

Join 20 Stories High for this FREE one off writing workshop which will introduce you to some techniques to help writers block, using free writing and character study as a starting point.

Led by Keith Saha – writer, theatre-maker, and Artistic Director of 20 Stories High.

Open to anyone, no experience needed, just bring your curiosity!

Thursday 10th July at Toxteth TV, 6-8pm
To book, email: leonisha@20storieshigh.org.uk

THIS PROCESS IS NOW CLOSED – PLEASE DO NOT APPLY
Storytelling Evaluation is a way of assessing programmes or schemes by using communication, open questions and free flowing conversation.

Those who take part and complete the training will then be qualified to apply for paid evaluation work with the Royal Court, specifically our Mentor Creatives Scheme.

THIS PROCESS IS NOW CLOSED – PLEASE DO NOT APPLY

1: STORY COLLECTING:

A Story Collector will talk, one – on – one, with a participant of a scheme and use open ended questions to get a truthful, nuanced and personal account of their experience. This typically take thirty to sixty minutes. These conversations are recorded, then handed over to an editor.

2.EDITING:

The Editor will transcribe the recorded conversation, in full. They will then edit this down to a single page document that summarises the participants story, while still maintaining the truth of their voice and experience.

3. SHARING:

The finished stories are shared with those organisations or individuals responsible for the programme that is being evaluated. The stories are read and used as a launching off point for what worked about the project, what did not, and what can be done to improve it in the future.

The training, hosted by Old Fire Station, offers opportunities to train in either or both of the following roles:

Story Collecting: 5hr, preferably in person but online will be considered.
Transcribing and Editing: 2hr, in person or online.
We welcome applications from those who wish to train in both positions.

The training will happen at the end of July – exact date TBC.

More information about Storytelling Evaluation and Old Fire Station can be found here:

THIS PRCOESS IS NOW CLOSED – PLEASE DO NOT APPLY
THIS PROCESS IS NOW CLOSED – PLEASE DO NOT APPLY

If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, please email harvey@liverpoolsroyalcourt.com

THIS PROCESS IS NOW CLOSED – PLEASE DO NOT APPLY

Storytelling Evaluation is for anybody who has the ability to listen to and engage with others, can talk easily and freely with strangers. For the Editing role, an interest in language and strong typing skills are required.

To find out more about the Storytelling Method, and Old Fire Station, please follow this link: https://www.storytellingevaluation.co.uk/about

Join Make It Write’s Film Workshop! Presented by Film Makers, Writers, and Directors: Keith Hyland, Ted Gray and Blake Emery

Experience the thrill of writing, filming, and acting for the screen at their immersive workshop. Here’s your chance to dive into the world of filmmaking alongside industry professionals.

Key Details:

Dates: August 23rd-24th, 2025

Location: The Studio Beyond

Event Highlights:

3-5 Writers will craft a short film

3-5 Crew members will bring the film to life behind the camera

3-5 Actors will showcase their talent on screen

Limited number of spaces.

Film Festival Submission:

They are excited to submit their completed film to various film festivals! Your entry fee of £20 will contribute towards the submission costs.

Film Premiere:

Don’t miss the premiere of the completed film at Fringe Bangs! Film Festival on October 9th, 2025.

Get Involved:

Interested in being part of this exciting opportunity?
Email Blake@studiobelow.co.uk with your details, preferred role (writer, crew, actor), and any relevant experience. This is a non-paid opportunity.