Kirkgate Quarter Chronicle November 2025

This month we’re inviting you to put the kettle on, get yourself cosy and delve deeper into what we do at Kirkgate Arts & Heritage. Our Monthly Chronicles have been jam packed this year, with all sorts of exciting events, celebrations and milestones, and now it’s time to take a moment to think about the people who make it all possible.
It was 30 years ago that the Kirkgate Centre first opened it’s doors, and one thing that remains the same from that moment to now is the driving force of volunteer power! Without that first group of volunteers working to get funding secured, find the right people to work on the remodelling of the old Victorian Schoolhouse, build audiences for shows and cinema, then we simply wouldn’t have the busy and vibrant organisation that Kirkgate Arts & Heritage is today.

We’ve weathered many storms over the years, and despite around 35% of grassroots music venues closing their doors over the last 20 years, we are putting on more events than ever in our 30th year.

It’s not just live music, cinema audiences accross the uk have declined by over 30% since 2019, resulting in many cinemas closing their doors. We now regularly screen films three times each week, with our Wednesday subtitled matinee becoming increasingly popular. In addition to that we also host National Theatre Live screenings, and at the end of the month we have Westlife on our big screen with their 25th Anniversary concert from the Royal Albert Hall!

Our humble little arts centre is truly bucking the trend! Well done to all our volunteers, and our fantastic audiences, for not letting this absolute gem of a place disappear, as so many other’s have.
A proud moment for Kirkgate Arts & Heritage! Cumbria’s Lord Leuitenant, Alexander Scott, visited the centre to present The Kings Award for Voluntary Service in 2023, the highest honor for volunteer groups in the UK, equivalent to an MBE!
Our Volunteer Family

We have over 100 volunteers, working both at events and behind the scenes, keeping the centre running smoothly. Have you ever considered joining the Kirkgate family?
WHO are our volunteers and WHAT do they do?….

Our volunteers are from all walks of life (and all stages of life!) and the roles they fulfill are equally varied.One of the more specialist groups of volunteers at the Kirkgate Centre are our live event technicians. Whether it’s live sound for a band, or stage lighting for a theatre show, this group are essential to create the right atmosphere for all our live events. We’ve been lucky enough to have a few new volunteers join this team over the last few months, and we’re hoping that working together with other more experienced tech volunteers will encourage them to continue to learn their craft with us.

We caught up with two members of team recently, to have a chat about them and their roles. We wanted to share what a wide range of people come along to get involved at the Kirkgate, by comparing experiences of volunteers young and old(er)… Kev has been volunteering at the Kirkgate Centre for around 15 years, initially through Cockermouth Live, and has been providing sound engineering support to numerous bands and artists. He has also helped us to improve our live event sound with advice on equipment as well as training other volunteers in using the kit safely and effectively, and despite being 71 he can still rock out with the best of ‘em! Daniel is at the start of his Kirkgate journey, at just 15 he’s already perfectly happy behind a tech desk, operating sound and lights for a variety of events.

Tell us about your sound tech journeys, how did you first get into the technical side of performance, and where did that lead you? 

Daniel- ‘I’m a student at Cockermouth School and signed up to help with the setting up of tech (plugging in microphones etc) for our school show in 2022, which I really enjoyed. I assisted with ‘Oliver’ and ‘Chicago’, learning what needs to be done from Dominic (who was operating the tech desk for the shows). When I was in year 9 at school Dominic found himself in the cast for The Sound of Music so it fell to me to take on mixing the sound and I haven’t looked back! It was a great experience using the Qu24 digital mixing desk alongside an Allen and Heath box. Both my parents have a wealth of experience working behind the scenes for shows, so it’s familiar territory for me. Working on school productions gave me a thirst to expand on my knowledge of production, so in the summer of last year I attended a course with Peter at the Gather, this was a training course in lighting, sound and video. After that I started helping with events at The Gather, and more recently at St Bees Village Hall. Although most of my experience is with theatrical productions I also love providing lights and sound for live music events, but musicals are probably my favourite.’ 

Kev- ‘We didn’t have the luxury of a sound desk when I started learning about live event tech! I was around 15/16 and in a band. Our kit list was considerably shorter than the equivalent bands would be these days, with just a 6 channel 120Watt PA system, although we thought we were the bees knees with our set up! There were no faders, just very basic tone control. Anything more advanced was prohibitively expensive back then. Later in the 70s the technology started to improve, but it was really into the 90s before good quality equipment became remotely affordable. My third band (around that time) finally had a full mixing desk and monitor speakers, things that most groups would take for granted today. Since the 2010s I’ve favoured using RCF speakers, with an Allen & Heath analogue mixer. Digital desks were still far too expensive for most at that stage. Aside from learning to operate sound with my own bands, my interest in sound engineering for others started around 2010 with Cockermouth Live and the Maryport Blues Festival. Often community events such as these don’t have the expertise within the organising team to get the best performance quality, so I began assisting with the tech and joined the committee to help bring the standard up on the production side. Having good quality (and reliable) equipment is so important- it’s unfair to the musicians (and the audiences!) if their music isn’t heard as it should be.’ 
Kev appearing on the Kirkgate stage (he’s the dude in the hat!) with his band Crowdog.
We have lots of events on the horizon, what types of events interest you in terms of tech, and is there anything coming up that you’re particularly looking forward to? 

Kev- ‘As a musician myself it’s the live bands that interest me. Sound engineering is my area of expertise, so I’m looking forward to working alongside other technicians when it comes to the lighting, but for me it’s all about the quality of the sound.’  

Daniel- ‘I’m busy studying for my mock GCSEs at the moment, but next on my list is the Fever Drag Cabaret night. I’m looking forward to working with them to make their New Years Eve extended show a really special event.’
Daniel and Kev discussing the move to digital with our new lighting desk and old faithful Allen and Heath mixer.
Kev and Daniel are planning on teaming up to cover event tech for future shows. This way their individual skills and knowledge can be shared while they work alongside each other. If you have an interest in this area of volunteering, but currently lack the skills or confidence to do it, get in touch. It’s always really helpful to have an extra pair of hands when setting up for live gigs, and you can learn at your own pace with our experienced sound and lighting technicians.
At the moment we are particularly looking for volunteers in a number of very different roles:
Duty Manager

When you come to an event at the Kirkgate the first person you see is likely to be the duty manager in the box office. They open up the building for events, and are the first port of call for volunteers and customers. All our duty managers receive first aid training (though it has rarely been needed thankfully!) and know how to use the evac chair in case of a swift evacuation. They often get to meet the artists before an event starts, and liaise with them to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Band Champion

Our band champions arrive early to let the artists in, show them around and make them a cuppa. They’ll often help the band with their merchandise stall, and of course introduce them on stage. It’s a great role if you like meeting musicians!

Georgian Costumes Coordinator

This involves keeping track of the wide range of costume items stored in our dressing room, which were donated to us by the Georgian Fair Committee a few years ago. We’d love to make more of this treasure trove of outfits, so if you have an interest in this area do get in touch! We hire the costumes out to local groups, schools and individuals, but we’d really love to reach out further- maybe even nationally! If you have some time to help us do that contact us in the admin office to arrange a chat.
WHY volunteer?

There are lots of benefits to spending your free time volunteering, whether it’s simply a way to get yourself out of the house and off the sofa, or a chance to learn new skills and develop your CV.

Did you know that volunteering has many health benefits!
Volunteering has been linked to lower stress, anxiety and depression, and is considered one of the five steps to well-being by the NHS. Helping others releases endorphins! Those are the happy hormones, to make you feel good and can even block pain signals to the brain. Aside from the science, if you have moments of feeling in a rut or a bit lonely, you’ll know how much of a lift it gives to have a friendly chat, get something done with a team, and fill your time with something positive. It’s even better when you know your contribution has given others a great night out, and the visiting artists always tell us how wonderfully helpful and friendly our volunteers are. It’s a real boost to the spirits as audiences and performers pass on their thanks at the end of an event.
Relaxing in our bar, which is entirely managed and staffed by volunteers.
Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills.
Are you between jobs, or looking to extend your skill set and improve your CV? Volunteering is an excellent way to demonstrate your willingness to learn, as well as providing opportunities to dip into territory you might not have considered before. Perhaps you’re just looking for something new to do with your spare time and want to give yourself a challenge. Some of our volunteers have thrown themselves right in, taking on jobs they never imagined they could do! With the support of experienced volunteers, as well as the staff, we’re always delighted to see people’s confidence grow as they learn.
Lighting and sound tech Nick, getting the lowdown on the new lighting desk from Matt (Technical Stage Services) earlier this year.
We couldn’t do it without volunteers.
As you will have read above, many small venues have closed, and many more are under threat. Part of the problem is the enormous cost increases we’ve seen over recent years. If Kirkgate Arts & Heritage didn’t have the dedicated team of volunteers that it’s blessed with, we simply wouldn’t exist. There would be nowhere in Cockermouth with a big screen, nowhere with a stage, and that’s before we even consider the numerous regular groups, classes, workshops and exhibitions that we host. Finding affordable space to hire for events in Cockermouth is no easy task, particularly a place with a bar and kitchen available. Volunteers make all of it possible.
Graham (maintenance team) and Sue (trustee, secretary, operations team, comms team and more!) making sure passers-by know what’s on.
WHERE and WHEN?

It’s not just at the Kirkgate, we also manage Kirkgate Arts Out West, which is the rural touring scheme bringing top quality live entertainment to local village halls, libraries and more. Our Arts Out West volunteers travel to see these shows, saying hello to our venue partners all over the area and giving a face to the organisation for our touring artists.

If you like to get out and about there are always posters to distribute and sometimes leaflets to share. Did you know we have volunteer poster distributors? They’d be delighted if you could help with posters, flyers and leaflets in your local area.

There are also lots of jobs that can be done at home, from something as simple as sharing a social media post to designing posters or seeking out funding sources.

Although the majority of our volunteers are on a rota to cover events (both daytime and evening, throughout the week and at weekends) that doesn’t mean you couldn’t get involved at other times and in other ways. This coming weekend has it’s own dedicated group of volunteers, Cockfrock is a really fun and busy event! We’re incredibly grateful for the team of volunteers who are happy to give us their time on these special events.

So to answer the questions of ‘where’ and ‘when’, everywhere and anywhere for as much or as little time as you want to spend with us!
Click here to get involved…
EMMA’S LETTER
Joining in at the variety of events and workshops was the focus of our Chronicle in October, and this month we’ve gone a step further. Why not join in with us behind the scenes and become a volunteer?

Three of the four staff in the office began as volunteers, me being one of them, and I would very much agree with the benefits mentioned above. Cockermouth is a strong and caring community, and being part of something right in the heart of the town is a brilliant way to get stuck in and give something back.

This has been an exceptionally busy year for the team, and while we’ve been celebrating we’ve also looked back at the last 30 years. With stories from volunteers who met (and then celebrated their marriage!) at the Kirkgate, and revisiting past shows (remember the photograph of CADS members carrying a car up the fire escape!? I’m not sure health and safety would allow that now!). It’s been a lot of hard work, but every bit worth it. Our auditorium reopening event back in April was a proud moment, seeing the fantastic new lights in action and the beautiful new paintwork felt like the start of a new era.

Since then we’ve enjoyed a magical picnic in the Castle, with superb food and entertainment. 30 films for 30 years over the summer (it still amazes me that the film programming group managed to find so many fantastic films with local connections) and of course last month our 30th Anniversary party, where we danced the night away to Alligator Gumbo, and enjoyed a delicious cajun themed buffet. You can have a look at some photographs of the event (and some of the fabulous outfits!) here.

We are almost at the end of our raffle prize list, what a superb selection of prizes that was! Huge thanks to everyone who donated a prize, it’s certainly given the winners a tricky time in choosing their favourite.

All of that on top of our usual live music, workshops, films, event cinema, exhibitions and more. It’s no wonder we are looking forward to a bit of a break at the end of the year, what a whirlwind it’s been celebrating the big 3 0.

So what next for Kirkgate Arts & Heritage? We want to make sure that we keep up the energy, so we’re looking for 30 new volunteers to mark us coming to the end of our 30th year. Get in touch to be part of the next 30 years, and help shape the future…

Emma Heys