Community Post Type: News

Symposium: Teaching Artistry in Action

Tuesday 2nd December

Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool

Event details here & for registration, follow this link: https://teachingartistryinaction.eventbrite.co.uk

Artists who teach operate at the vital intersection of artistry and pedagogy – bringing their professional creative practice into classrooms, cultural organisations, and communities, and helping learners develop curiosity, resilience, identity and belonging. This work is essential to the arts and cultural ecosystem, yet too often undervalued or overlooked. 

Hosted by Curious Minds, this symposium will bring together teaching artists, cultural leaders, funders, and policymakers to explore how they can make teaching artistry visible, valued and sustained in England.

They want to make this event accessible to everyone. Tickets are priced at £5 for individuals, £15 for small organisations, and £30 for large organisations, with free community tickets available.

This is an opportunity for you to contribute to the future of the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail, by helping to inform decisions about the design of the Trail’s plaques.

After asking your name and email address, they will ask 10 design questions, intended to help ensure the community’s views are heard when it comes to the design of the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail plaques.

This presupposes they might be allowed to make changes to the existing plaques, but the whole process is subject to planning approval, building-owner satisfaction and funding viability. Your answers will help the Liverpool Irish Festival (the trails custodians) to build a case for support and ensure that, if they are allowed to proceed, your thoughts can be considered.

The suggestions made here are an outline to inform ideas. Not every aspect will be incorporated and conflicting needs will have to be considered. However, they are committed to using as much information as we are given to inform the end designs.

At the end of the survey they ask three monitoring questions to assist with understanding our reach and engagement. If you do not want to answer these, please state ‘Prefer not to say’ or ‘PNTS’.

Take the survey here

Organisations and businesses can bid for a share of £1 million in funding to help them deliver bold and innovative initiatives that enable more people to walk, wheel or cycle, Active Travel England (ATE) has announced.

 The Active Travel Innovation Fund is inviting applications from small to medium-sized businesses and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), with grants of up to £100,000 available for each successful applicant.

The funding is designed to help develop new ideas or to expand on successful initiatives that are already making a difference. Examples could include community projects that help under-represented groups make more active travel choices, projects that work alongside local councils to enable and promote sustainable travel, or that use digital tools to improve safety and accessibility.

This funding will support the Government’s Plan for Change by backing entrepreneurs and creative and ambitious projects to improve the nation’s health and kickstart economic growth.

• The fund is to be spent on active travel interventions, with a focus on engagement and behaviour change. This may include spend for materials and small items to support the development, delivery and/or scaling of interventions.

• Interventions which propose to use funding to continue the day-to-day running of an existing service will clearly need to demonstrate how funding will add additional value – e.g. by reaching new users; by scaling the service; by delivering new/different outputs.

Questions should be issued to ATE-Innov-Fund@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. The mailbox will remain open until the fund officially closes however the deadline for clarification questions in relation to the fund e.g. regarding eligible organisations, will be 7th November 2025.

ATE will review and shortlist applications between mid-November and early December, with interviews for shortlisted applicants likely to be held the week commencing 15th December 2025.

Successful applicants will be notified of their funding in January 2026, with funding formally awarded in February 2026. The delivery of interventions should conclude by the end of March 2027, with a fund evaluation stage to commence thereafter.

For full details and eligibility criteria, visit the Government Find a Grant website. 

Closing date: 14 November

The Birkenhead Christmas Creative Trail invites you to explore a new journey, following the map on Saturday, December 13th, from Birkenhead Market to Hamilton Square and beyond.

This trail is fundamentally about connecting the dots—bridging venues and events that celebrate authentic, independent creation. It’s designed to ensure the vital creative heartbeat of the area is not overlooked and that visitors can easily find and support the wide array of local talent.

The trail originated from a commitment to collaboration and the value of unique, handcrafted goods. Surrounded by artists and makers at Make Hamilton, Ruth Timmins-Williams and her husband Matthew run their studio and business, Emulsional Support. “The idea of having a Christmas market in-house seemed obvious,” says Ruth. Upon learning of a youth market scheduled at Birkenhead Market on the same day, they chose collaboration over competition. “It made sense to be collaborative, share the marketing, and offer a powerful collective draw to the area.”

By reaching out to other studios and local businesses, the trail grew organically, transforming the Christmas shopping experience for both visitors seeking meaningful gifts and the traders who create them.

Venues: Supporting Authenticity and Craftsmanship

This trail champions established and new locations that showcase diverse, authentic work made by and directly supporting the Wirral creative community:

Birkenhead Market anchors the start of the trail with the Youth Market. This event provides an essential platform for young people to sell their work, fostering the next generation of independent creators and entrepreneurs.

Walking along Argyle Street, Future Yard has a brand new exhibition by Prints N Tha Collective – Pop Tarts featuring work by Glomoth, JoMo and Rhonda Davies.

At the corner of Argyle Street and Hinson Street is Make Hamilton, featuring the recently opened Blooming Skulls Cafe. The residents are hosting a Christmas Makers Fair, a unique opportunity to browse the work of 15 artists and makers in one convenient, festive location.

Further along Argyle Street, before Hamilton Square, Rathbone Studio presents a carefully curated collection of ceramics and artisanal crafts. These are sophisticated, original pieces—perfect gifts for the more discerning recipient who values quality and integrity in design.

From Hamilton Square, looking left into Price Street, you will find BirkenHack, a new makerspace focused on sustainable practice. Open from 11am – 1pm for festive crafting and a Christmas Jumper Swap with Circular Arts Network and Zero Fashion CIC This is your chance to find out more about their exciting plans for a Repair and Reuse initiative and Waedrobe Library in the new year.

Play Play Play, a risograph print studio, is a new addition nestled at the top edge of the map. If you appreciate the nostalgic quality of printing, Mark Simmonds will be demonstrating Riso printing in action and creating prints for you to take away.

Common Thread is a relaxed maker social at Birch Gallery, designed to bring people together over textiles, mending, and a sustainable approach to fashion. It’s a space to actively reconnect with your wardrobe, share essential skills, and meet others focused on mindful consumption. This special Christmas Edition joins the trail from its usual first Sunday of the month for some Festive Crafting.

Following their recent official Open Studios, some residents at No. 1 Hamilton Square will be opening their doors again for one day only. Explore original art, prints, textiles, and jewellery across three floors, featuring independent artists like Gweni-Louu, Landlines Studios, Elena Pratt, and Jane Bennett.

Last, but certainly not least, Green Jam Creatives offers a curated selection of quirky gifts from an ever-growing catalogue of local artists and makers. Opened earlier this year, this shop is dedicated to championing local talent and still finds time to host fun, inclusive making and drawing workshops.

Support Local. Buy Unique.

Venues

Youth Market
Supporting emerging local talent
Birkenhead Market, CH41 2YH, @birkenheadmarket_official

Pop Tarts Print Exhibition
Featuring work by Glomoth, JoMo and Rhonda Davies
Future Yard, 75 Argyle St, CH41 6AB, @printsntha

Christmas Makers Fair
Resident artists and makers
Make Hamilton + Bloomies, 69-71 Argyle St, CH41 6LQ, @make.cic

Pottery Open Studio
Hand-created, original ceramics
Rathbone Studio, 28 Argyle St, CH41 6AE, @circularartsnetworkLCR

Christmas Jumper Swap
Sustainable reuse with Zero Fashion CIC
BirkenHack, Brunswick Ct,
4-6 Price St, CH41 6LW
11 am – 1 pm, @circularartsnetworkLCR

Open Studio event
Explore risograph printing
Play Play Play, Unit 4, 106 Bridge Street, CH41 1AN, @play.play.play.press

Common Thread
Sewing Social Christmas Special – Festive crafting
Birch Gallery, No. 1 Hamilton Square, CH41 6AU, @marinad.designs / @zerofashionuk
1 pm – 5 pm

Open Studios event
Open Studios (Art, Prints, Jewellery)
Ground Floor – 2nd Floor,
1 Hamilton Square, CH41 6AU, @landlines_studio/ @gwenilouu, @birch.studios.gallery

Quirky Gifts and Workshops
Dedicated stockist of local maker
Green Jam Creatives, 50 Hamilton St CH41 5AE, @greenjamcreatives

Note: Most events run from 11 am – 4 pm unless otherwise stated. Please check individual venue social media channels for the latest information and updates.

Accessibility Notice for No. 1 Hamilton Square: The studios are situated across several floors in an old bank building, making them inaccessible for wheelchairs. We encourage direct contact with the studios or makers if you require assistance or wish to view their work online.

The artists and makers of Birkenhead invite you to a Christmas celebration of creativity. Find unique ceramics, art, jewellery, textiles, and more—perfect, one-of-a-kind treasures for everyone on your list!

Saturday 13th December 2025
11am – 4pm

Make Hamilton 69-71 Argyle St, CH41 6LQ

The Halcyon Syncopators are busy playing for birthday parties and weddings this autumn, so their next public gig is their annual fundraiser for Liverpool Sickle Cell Support Group on Wednesday 10 December, at the fabulous Oh Me Oh My in West Africa House.

Book your tickets here:- https://tinyurl.com/yh2yj84u

As you know, thanks to your generosity, they’ve been raising money for this charity for a few years now, and the concerts are always both a glamorous and musical highlight of their year. This year is the first time they have celebrated Christmas with the Big Band, and they have some wonderful well-known and some equally fabulous less well-known Christmas songs to play.

Responding to suggestions from their lovely audience, tickets this year include a two course Christmas buffet supper. So although at first glance tickets appear to have leapt in price, in fact they have only gone up by a delicious plate of food! Start cutting back on your daily coffees for a really glamorous big Christmassy Night Out , …

Event details:

Swing for Sickle Cell at Christmas: 

Celebrate a swinging Christmas with singers Hayli, Rebecca, Tyrone and The Halcyon Syncopators big band.

Oh Me Oh My, West Africa House, Water Street, L2 0RG

Wednesday December 10, 7.30pm  £40.00 including two course Christmas buffet supper

Book your tickets here:- https://tinyurl.com/yh2yj84u

Comics Youth CIC is running a free upskilling programme in Merseyside for young people (16-30) interested in a career in the Comics Industry.

This includes career paths that fit those passionate about creative writing and/or drawing.

The programme ‘Comics Declassified’ starts very soon, in November, and will run for 10 months giving participants access to in-person group sessions 2x month, online masterclasses and individual support. They also cover travel costs within Merseyside.

They will run 2 sessions a month starting from November 2025 until August 2026.

They have a limited number of iPads and laptops you can book to use during the sessions for digital drawing or creative writing; an extensive comics library that you can browse through; lots of stationery, drawing materials, and snacks! All free.

Where: Comics Youth HQ

When: 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 5:15 – 7:15 PM. Come to one or to both sessions, it’s up to you!

Additional information can be found here: https://comicsyouth.co.uk/comics-declassified

Join Bluecoat Display Centre for the opening of their Winter Display- Thursday 6 November 2025 | 4:30pm – 7:00pm (Entrance via College Lane)

Celebrate the coming season with us, and meet some of the talented makers behind their Winter Display at this special opening evening. Enjoy complimentary refreshments as you browse the gallery, and take advantage of an exclusive 10% discount for Friends of the Bdc on all purchases during the event.

This Winter, our curated collection shines a light on exceptional craftsmanship and timeless design. Explore a stunning selection of contemporary jewellery, sculptural and functional ceramics, prints, turned wood and exquisite textiles, all created by studio-based makers from across the UK. Every piece celebrates the artistry of traditional techniques, sustainable materials, and thoughtful making.

Join them for an evening of creativity, conversation and craft.

Obscure Film is proud to present a 30th anniversary screening of Butterfly Kiss (1995).

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and starring Amanda Plummer, Saskia Reeves, Katy Murphy and Ricky Tomlinson.

Eunice is an unstable young woman, roaming the North West countryside for her girlfriend, Judith. While hitchhiking the motorways of northern England, passing through towns and cities scarred by decade-long recession and unemployment, she meets Miriam, a shy, introverted young woman who finds in Eunice the first person who has ever taken her seriously. Told in flashback by Miriam as she is interrogated by the police, Butterfly Kiss, is a powerful and disturbing examination of the psychologies of two people left discarded by the economic and social policies of Thatcherite Britain.

A queer hidden gem, shot in Merseyside, featuring an incredible soundtrack of 90s bangers (Björk, The Cranberries, PJ Harvey and more) this film is made for fans of transgressive cinema!

Doors 6pm, Film 6:30pm
Friday 14th November 2025
18+ only, tickets required
Content warnings: violence, strong language, abuse, sexual assault.

Tickets available: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/6744525