Kirkgate Quarter Chronicle August 2025

This weekend will be our final six titles of our 30th Anniversary Film Festival, and we close with a very special screening….

Local film maker Michael Groom will be joining us for a Q&A session after the film ‘Between the Lights’ is shown on our big screen!

“This romantic, supernatural drama may remind you of classics of this genre like Ghost and Truly, Madly, Deeply.” (Riverside Studios)

When sceptical scientist Alice falls for reluctant medium Jay, she’s taken on an odyssey of love, loss and discovery that will turn her world upside down. It is set within the ancient walls of York and the stunning natural beauty of the Lake District.

Find out more about Michael’s creative career on the Laal Blue Dot website.
Watch the official trailer for ‘Between the Lights’ here…
Book your tickets to see Between the Lights here
There’s still lots more to come this month at the centre, with workshops, our monthly market, poetry, live music and more!

For our August Chronicle we’re focussing on joining in, and there’s so many ways to do that @Kirkgate! If you haven’t given them a try yet but have been wondering about joining in with one of our workshop events, scroll down to read of one of our regular Cooking@Kirkgate participants’ thoughts.

Crafts@Kirkgate also continues with ‘An Introduction to Needle Felted Landscapes‘ at the end of the month, and in September Celia Burbush is leading us through a ‘Collage and Colour’ workshop. All of the workshop activity at the centre has a friendly and relaxed vibe, it’s all about finding a space to unleash your creativity, whether that’s through artistic endeavours, or culinary exploration! There’s sure to be something you’ll gain a lot from on our Join In events schedule.
A DAY IN THE LIFE

We always love to hear what you think of events and activities at the centre, so if you would like to share your thoughts or a review with us please do get in touch!

Here’s one of our regular cooking@Kirkgate customers with some insights into what the workshops are like as a participant…

Have you enjoyed the workshops?

“Immensely! They are always very fun, very enjoyable and educational too. Joining in with the workshops means I can save a day or two’s cooking at home. It’s also great to enjoy what we’ve created at the end of the session too, and share a sociable lunch.”

Do you think the workshops are good value for money?

“Oh yes, one thing that particularly makes a difference for me is that the ingredients are included, which means I can experiment with things I wouldn’t usually stock my kitchen cupboards with. It always seems a waste if I am only going to use a small amount of a flavourful ingredient then leave it to go out of date on a shelf!”

Have you gained a lot from the workshops?

“Coming along to these workshops has sort of given me permission to experiment with different flavours, ingredients and combinations. For someone living alone it gives a wonderful chance to create dishes that I simply wouldn’t bother making from scratch at home. It’s also made me realise there are tips and tricks that can be employed here and there! What could seem like a complicated recipe can be made more simple with little cheats like pre made pastry.”
@HOME @KIRKGATE

This month we have TWO new resident activities at the Kirkgate Centre to tell you about!

We have a new regular session coming to the Kirkgate this autumn, as Vicky brings us her Baby Sensory Classes, starting in September. Here’s Vicky to explain more…

‘Baby Sensory is an educational, sensory, interactive and developmental programme, which will help your baby learn and develop important skills and is for babies from birth to 13 months.

Every class has been carefully designed, the activities are planned and researched by Dr Lin Day with you and your baby’s needs in mind.

Classes are built on your baby’s natural play-rest-play cycle to ensure they are not overstimulated.

An ideal place for you to meet new parents, ask questions, share ideas, experiences and memories together.
Baby Sensory classes have been running successfully in West Cumbria for a number of years, but have never been located in Cockermouth. With access to all the facilities the lovely town has to offer, it is the ideal place for classes to take place. There are many options for new parents to grab a coffee together to carry on their conversations, or to take babies to the park to continue the fun together after class.
The Kirkgate Centre is an ideal location, with level access for prams and buggies, plenty of parking close by, spacious, clean baby change facilities and plenty of space inside for the action-packed classes to take place.  I cannot wait to get started in September! There are currently two classes a day scheduled, and they are already almost fully booked. Class times are as follows:

0-6 months 10.30-11.30am
6-13 months 12.00-1.00pm

If demand continues, we may have to add a third class, which would be fantastic!’

You can book a place online www.babysensory.com/westcumbria or contact Vicky directly for more information at westcumbria@babysensory.co.uk, why not give them a follow on facebook or instagram?
We are also delighted to welcome the singers from Committed to Rock The Lakes to their new home at The Kirkgate! Formerly based in Keswick, the choir has been singing and raising cash for community projects for over ten years with a wide repertoire of rock classics and contemporary pop. For two nights a year, the choir joins forces with choir members from Whitehaven and Penrith to perform two shows on the main stage at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick raising thousands of pounds for local charities.

The choir will meet from 6 to 7:30pm every Tuesday downstairs at The Kirkgate and is always looking for new members. Choir members learn tunes and harmonies from talented choir leader Cath Marcangelo so there’s no need to read sheet music.

Each session is £7 and all ages, genders and abilities are welcome. There’s no need to book – just turn up on Tuesday evenings for a 6pm start and pay at the door.

For more information, contact Cath at johncathginns@hotmail.com
KIRKGATE HISTORY AND HERITAGE

Kirkgate Arts and Heritage are a part of Our Freedom: Then and Now, nationwide celebrations reflecting on what freedom means 80 years after the end of the Second World War.

We’re working with local artists storyteller Jessie McMeekin and musician JP Worsfold to explore what freedom means to the community of Cockermouth today, and we’d like to invite you to a workshop to share your ideas.

The session will be creative, fun and thoughtful. Your ideas and stories will be used to inspire a community musical, which will also draw on our historical research into local people’s experiences at the end of the Second World War. The musical will be performed by a community choir at the Cockermouth Christmas Lights Switch On on the 23rd November.

The session is free, and refreshments are included. You can book a place here.

There’s more information about the national project on the Our Freedom: Then and Now website.
KIRKGATE QUARTER

We wanted to use this month to say one last big THANK YOU to all the local businesses that supported our 30th Anniversary film festival. Without that support we couldn’t have brought you the wonderful variety of films. Another enormous THANK YOU to the film programming group, for finding all those interesting local connections, and selecting a film from each of the years since the centre first opened it’s doors. Quite a feat!
If you are involved in a local business and would like to feature in our chronicle, get in touch with katie@thekirkgate.com.
EMMA’S LETTER
I’d like to second that huge thank you- to all our film fans, and sponsors, for making our 30th Anniversary Film Festival such a success. I would also like to thank the film makers, composers, musicians and actors who came along to entertain us with some really fun and informative Q&A sessions over the festival. Our volunteer film programmers don’t get a moment to rest on their laurels though, as we are now busy preparing the next season of cinema at Kirkgate. Keep an eye on the website for the new film offerings.

Next up in our birthday celebrations is our 30th Anniversary party on Saturday 11th October. We’ll be getting our glad rags on and slipping into a speakeasy vibe with Alligator Gumbo providing the music, and food with a Cajun twist on offer. Cabaret style seating in the auditorium, so there’ll be plenty of room to dance!  All this for just £30 a ticket.

I hope you’re all enjoying the beautiful summer sunshine! The local scenery should provide plenty of inspiration for our upcoming crafts@Kirkgate with Needle Felted Landscapes. We’d love to share your creations, so do send us your photographs if you come along.

Emma Heys
Chief Executive