| Welcome to the August 2024 edition of the Kirkgate Quarter Chronicle.
We usually take a month off the Chronicle in August, but with so much to share we had to break that tradition this summer!
In this month’s edition we welcome Katy Higgins to the team, Katy is our new finance and admin officer who has been settling in over the last month or so. She’s a great fit for Kirkgate Arts, with a very creative background, and lots of experience working in volunteer organisations.
We also say farewell to one of our Youth Theatre Group as they venture off to begin the next chapter of their life at university, read Grace‘s article below.
August is all go at the centre, with the completion of our new lighting around the building, work on the lift AND preparation to install a disabled WC on the first floor. This is yet another funding success thanks to a small team of volunteers and our general manager Emma- we think Emma should start buying lottery tickets!!
We apologise for any mess and disruption while this work is going on, we’re aiming not to cancel or postpone any events but please be aware that the lift will be out of action until mid August.
There’s also something new just outside, we are now home to a clothes recycling bank. Donations to this bank support the work of the College for International Co-Operation and Development. Find out more here. |
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@HOME@KIRKGATE
This month we are introducing our new Finance and Admin Officer, Katy Higgins. Katy started volunteering with us back in May and is now part of the broomcupboard team up in the admin office. Here she is to tell us a bit more about herself;
“Hello! I might have met some of you already but there’s also plenty of you I’m yet to meet – I’m Katy and I have taken on the almighty role of Finance and Admin officer, held for 15 years by the legend herself, Jocelyn West.
I moved to Cockermouth in April of this year and have been overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity of the community here, particularly The Kirkgate, who have welcomed me into this fantastic space. I moved back to the UK at the end of 2023 with no plans but luckily my partner was given a job at The Cottage in the Woods so, knowing that Cumbria is a beautiful part of the country, I thought I’d come along too and it’s got to be the best decision I could have made. |
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| My background lies in contemporary dance, which I like to describe as an excuse to wiggle about and generally be a bit odd on stage. Which is probably why I was drawn to Berlin where I was living for the past 4 years working as a PT and yoga instructor (shoutout to anyone who’s now doing my yoga classes at the Leisure Centre here!). Before this I was in London, working in theatres and dancing/choreographing whenever I had the chance. I’m still moving and grooving in my own time and hope to get a chance to perform some of my works up here in Cumbria! |
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| I’m really enjoying my new role at The Kirkgate – it’s the total opposite to anything I’ve done before but I do enjoy a good challenge! I look forward to meeting the rest of The Kirkgate folk as I settle into my role here and I hope to adequately fill Jocelyn’s shoes.”
Did you know that three of the four staff members in the admin office started their Kirkgate journey as a volunteer? We think Katy might have the record for shortest time from volunteering to paid role! If you would like to know more about volunteering with Kirkgate Arts & Heritage visit our website here. |
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UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS
What a mix! There’s loads to choose from over this August. Of course all the usual events (Our Monthly Market and Jazz@Kirkgate later in the month) plus more music, films, National Theatre Live, Poets Out Loud…
Our top pics for August include something for everyone, so if you’ve got visitors over the summer, or family that need entertaining look no further!
This weekend the FEVER team are back, for another night of HOT entertainment. Hosted by Rosie Zinfandel we’re looking forward to energetic antics from Summer Salt, she’s joined by Koko Popperz and Skylar Cister for a sizzling night of cabaret. Saturday 10th August 8pm book here.
Next week we have a double headline music gig, with the superb Mike Turnbull & The Valiant Knights joined by Mike in another, more storytelling style, guise as one half of Briar & Bramble. This promises to be a real treat for fans of modern folk music, with songs full of stories. “Mike Turnbull is a singer-songwriter from the Lake District whose main instruments are tenor guitar, banjo, mandolin & octave mandola. Their sound coupled with the sources of his songs suggests Seth Lakeman and, in truth, that isn’t a bad comparison. He certainly has the same drive and energy.” (Dai Jeffries – Folking.com). Thursday 15th August 8pm book here. |
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| Our Heritage Group have been hard at work putting together a summer exhibition as part of our ‘In My Shoes’ project. “Covering over 300 years of the town’s history, we explore the many varied reasons people moved to the area, for family or work, or when they had no choice. For some, their stay in the area was for a short period of their life, whilst others made the town their long-term home and raised their families here. We have selected a few of their stories to give a sample of people’s different experiences. These stories are now part of our wider community’s stories, ingrained in our cultural consciousness.”
The Exhibition will be open from 11am until 4pm daily from the 16th August to the 1st September (apart from Saturday 31st of August when we will be open from 1pm), entry is free but if you would like to make a donation towards future work at the centre donations are gratefully received. More info here.
Something for all the family! The Ultimate Bubble Show is coming to Cockermouth on Wednesday 21st of August for two performances. Tickets are selling fast for this one, so if you want to see International Bubbleologist and Guinness World Record Holder, Ray, create the ultimate SQUARE bubble book now. |
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A DAY IN THE LIFE
This month we hear from one of our Kirkgate Youth Theatre members.
“I’m Grace and I’ve been part of the Kirkgate Youth Theatre since primary school. I have lived in Cockermouth my whole life and went to Cockermouth School. Right now I am having a long summer break after completing my A-Levels. I am starting university soon and will be studying History. |
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| Kirkgate Youth Theatre has been very special for me. I’ve made lots of awesome friends. It has helped me grow in confidence; when I first started I was shy and quiet but I’m glad to say that over the years, little by little, I have become more self-assured. The sessions are fun and there is no judgement- the main goal is to enjoy, have a laugh and to create theatre that gets to the heart of our members, whether it be their heritage, identity or interests. A big part of creating our theatrical pieces is collaboration; we work together and listen to each other’s ideas to form pieces that contain suggestions from everyone. No previous acting experience is needed, we build up our acting skills together in a friendly and encouraging environment. Members can also become involved in other aspects of theatre, for example, I’ve designed the programme covers and others have played musical instruments or sung. Over the past year, our focus has been on our backgrounds and ancestry, and delving into this, I believe our youth theatre has become more tight-knit as we pull back the layers of who we are. I think what sets Kirkgate Youth Theatre apart is the warm family atmosphere it has; we can laugh, have a chat and members become genuine close friends. |
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| The sessions are split up into drama games at the start and then time to discuss and explore our ideas for our next piece. We’ve done a range of activities to formulate our pieces, such as improvisation scenes, body diagrams to create characters, and still images to encapsulate a particular moment. We’ve also performed in a variety of venues, such as the Kirkgate theatre, Cockermouth Castle and Wordsworth House. The COVID Pandemic didn’t stop our youth theatre from carrying on; we had regular video calls and we would create videos from our homes based on a particular theme each week. During the pandemic, we couldn’t see many people so it was easy to get listless and down, but the weekly contact with the youth theatre kept me going and the videos gave me a purpose each week.
In the future, I hope to pursue a career in History, perhaps in a museum or historic house. I’m fascinated by what it means to be human and by discovering more stories to tell. Whatever I do, I know that I have gained a secure foundation from Kirkgate Youth Theatre, which has helped me to come out of my shell and show the world what I have to offer.”
Our Youth Theatre Group meet on Thursday evenings during term time, under the expert guidance of Tish Thornton. It’s a great way to make new friends, gain confidence and work as part of a team on creating and performing theatrical pieces. If you know someone between the ages of 10 and 18 who might enjoy these sessions please contact Tish at letitiathornton07@hotmail.com for more information.
You can have a look at what Kirkgate Youth Theatre have been doing over the last few years on our website here. |
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KIRKGATE HISTORY AND HERITAGE
This month another unashamed plug for our heritage exhibition at the Kirkgate Centre, starting Friday 16th August, running up to and including Sunday 1st September. It’s called Offcomers, and probably there are many people in the town who will identify with that title (myself included). Many people came to Cockermouth from other parts of the country and made it their home – what mark did they leave on the town, and what were their experiences?
Many people came here looking for work, and others came to set up businesses, seeing the potential of the area in terms of labour and natural resources. At one time just about everything that one might need for everyday life was made or sold here in Cockermouth. The production of leather and all kinds of leather goods was one of those industries, covered in our previous Millers exhibition. Another major industry was hat production. Thomas Wilson, whose hat manufactory business stood on the banks of the Cocker near Cocker Bridge, was born in Cockermouth but his family had moved from Belfast to Carlisle, and then to Cockermouth. Thomas developed the hat business such that at one time more than 4,000 hats per week were being produced there. He employed journeymen hat-makers who came from Lancashire around 1841 and travelled around the area and up into Scotland selling hats. Thomas built Grecian Villa as a grand family home. |
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| Hat-making was a very hazardous and unpleasant industry to work in. The phrase ‘mad as a hatter’ comes from the unpleasant side-effects suffered by many workers, where mercury nitrate was used as part of the process to turn animal fur (such as rabbit fur) into felt for hats. There was a thriving trade in rabbit skins locally to supply the demand.
There were other hat-makers in the town in the 19th century. One was William Smethurst who operated from Rubby Banks Mill in the 1860s. Robert Louis Stevenson (writing in ‘Essays of Travel’) walked along the Cocker whilst visiting the town and noted a sign over Rubby Banks Mill: Canadian Felt Hat Manufacturers. Swain Brothers sold a variety of hats in their shop on Main Street. |
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| Do come along to our free exhibition and find out more about some of the people who came to Cockermouth and made their mark. It will be open every day 11-4 with free admission. Maybe you might want to describe your own experiences of moving here and starting a new life for whatever reason. We look forward to seeing you. |
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Gloria Edwards
Cockermouth Heritage Group
If you would like to get involved with our heritage group do get in touch. |
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AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE KIRKGATE
We’re giving Bob this month off, so instead of an unofficial history here is our operations manager, Katie, with a few of her reflections on Kirkgate over the years.
“I remember being over the moon that Cockermouth was finally getting a dedicated venue for performances of theatre and live music, particularly after the closure of The Office (remember that place? legendary status among the youth of the town back in the 80s and 90s). So there I was, an excited teenager waiting with anticipation to see what bands might be coming to town… But alas it was the same year that I finished school and upped sticks to Liverpool.
After a number of years, in different cities, I moved back to Cockermouth with my young daughter in the early 2000’s and the centre became a place to take Anna, to experience live music and magical theatre shows. Does anyone else remember ‘The Man Who Planted Trees’? Anna was absolutely spellbound and we still have the event poster on our bathroom door at home. A really moving puppet theatre performance. |
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| My first taste of volunteering was in the box office, and with the ‘Friends of the Kirkgate’ fund raising group. It’s incredible to look back on the events that small group of volunteers put together, ‘Strictly Kirkgate’ and ‘Kirkgate’s Got Talent’ were huge! We still hold regular ‘Great Big Kirkgate Quiz’ nights, thanks to the incredible imagination of Toby Gaffney. Such a lot of work goes into putting events on, and we are eternally grateful to Toby for making the quiz nights so special and so entertaining, the next of those is coming up in early September.
These days, with so much going on and not enough hours in the day, it’s easy to miss out on the very reason we are here. It quite often turns into work rather than play when I buy a ticket to an event! But last week I did just that and came to see Rob Heron and The Teapad Orchestra with some friends. What a fantastic gig!! And really good to remind myself why we beaver away in the office- to bring magical moments, the live performance experience, and connection to the heart of the community.
So much has changed over my time at Kirkgate Arts & Heritage, and it’s exciting to see the organisation moving towards the future with energy and enthusiasm- bit by bit the building is being improved, we’re busier than ever with events, and there are more plans in the pipeline… Watch this space!
If you would like to get more involved I can highly recommend volunteering with us, it’s how I caught the Kirkgate Arts bug- and I’ve never looked back.”
Whether it’s being part of the Youth Theatre, being part of our wonderful audiences, joining our ‘Friends’ scheme, working in one of the many volunteer roles or just keeping up with our news in the Chronicle, everyone makes a difference and has their part in the Kirkgate story. If you’d like to get more involved find out more about volunteering here, or on becoming a ‘Friend of Kirkgate Arts & Heritage’ here. |
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| A warm welcome to Katy Higgins in her new role as our finance and admin officer, we’re certainly enjoying having someone with her energy and creativity on the staff team. Jocelyn is a tough act to follow, but we’ve every confidence in Katy. Anyone who can go from teaching a yoga class to dealing with accounting software to duty managing an event all in the same day has got to be an asset!
Lots to entertain the family this month, I’m looking forward to seeing the summer exhibition which is starting next week. It’s fascinating to discover the varied stories of our local residents and how their lives have brought them to the area, journeys of their own and of their parents, grandparents. Have you ever thought about your own journey? Of how you came to be in this beautiful part of the world? If you have a story to tell do get in touch as we are still working on our oral history recordings as part of the ‘In My Shoes’ project.
The exhibition will also be the backdrop to some special events over August. Jessie McMeekin will be giving a guided story-tour of the Offcomers exhibition, aimed at children between 4 and 11 and their families, on Friday 23rd and 30th August. There are two sessions on each Friday, and these events are free to attend. There’s more information, and booking, on our website.
We’re also delighted that multi-award winning writer and performer Emma McGordon will be joining us, on Sunday 24th August at 2pm, for a spoken word event. This will also be free to enter but we recommend booking a place on the website, tickets available soon.
As mentioned above, there’s a lot of building and engineering work happening around the centre as our improvements continue. We know many of our customers rely on the lift to access the auditorium so we do apologise that it’s currently out of action. We can’t wait to unveil the new improved refurbished lift at the end of the month.
Well, I must sign off as we have a lot to pack up and squirrel away before we can get started with the disabled WC installation. We always try not to let disruption at the centre stop the show, so although the next couple of months may be a challenge for staff strewn around the centre as the office is remodelled, we are here! If you have any problems contacting us by phone once the work is underway, don’t hesitate to email, or pop in. There is always someone around between 9 and 5 on weekdays, just ring the bell if the door is locked.
Emma Heys
General Manager |
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