Kirkgate Quarter Chronicle March 2026

After Jazz January, Film February… Let’s make it a musical March!
We’ve already had two members of the NE Street Band with their ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ show, and we’re fast approaching a sell out gig from Tryckster this Saturday. Later this month we welcome Old Baby Mackerel to the Kirkgate stage, after sell out performances on our Arts Out West rural touring network last year. Definitely not to be missed! Then we finish off the month of music with 4in1, led by the superb Jamil Sherrif on piano. Click on the image below for all our upcoming music events…
We are a lucky lot, that such top class live music can be found right on our doorstep! No need to travel to Glasgow or Manchester for a gig, no long drives or hotel bookings needed.

With the costs of touring skyrocketing over the last few years musicians are finding it harder and harder to reach their fans in grassroots music venues. We are proud to be part of the Musicians Union Fair Play Venue scheme, which was set up to help performers avoid exploitative deals, such as the dreaded ‘pay-to-play’ events. You can find out more about this scheme here.

We love encouraging up and coming bands and musicians on their career journeys, alongside long established acts, and it means that we can bring you some incredible talent that you may not have yet heard.

Julie Fowlis is now a household name for folk fans, as host of the Transatlantic Sessions on BBC, along with countless radio and TV appearances. Do you remember her visit to the Kirkgate? It was back in 2007 (shortly after being pipped at the post to the BBC Radio 2 folk award for ‘Best Singer’ by Seth Lakeman), alongside Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. What a stunning night of music that was! Two of the most sublime voices, and most of the lyrics sung in gaelic, made for a magical experience.

What will your next musical discovery be at Kirkgate?…
@Home@Kirkgate

This month we are also home to Mayfield School’s 6th form art exhibition. You can come in to view the students work in our downstairs bar before our events up to the 20th March, you can even buy a piece to collect at the end of the exhibition. Click here to check our opening times for viewing. We hear from Clare, who has arranged the exhibition, below…
“Mayfield School is a Special School catering for students aged between 3 and 19, our young people have severe learning difficulties and varying health and complex needs. From 11-20 March Students from the Cockermouth campus, will be bringing their fantastic art exhibition to the Kirkgate arts centre.  The exhibition showcases the incredible talent, imagination and individuality of our students.  Trevor Milton, class teacher said ‘Our exhibition celebrates the creativity, determination and unique perspective of our amazing students’.

This year with the proceeds, the school will be raising funds for the wonderful local charity, Linking lives.  This fantastic charity helps people in our community who, for many different reasons may be feeling lonely or isolated.
School students and staff are so excited that their artwork is going ‘on tour’ for the first time this year.  They are proud to have been invited to display their work at The Kirkgate Arts Centre in Cockermouth, where many of the pieces will be available for sale at very competitive prices.  We  warmly invite the community to come along, show your support and enjoy an inspiring display of colour, creativity and expression.  Please do visit us at Kirkgate Arts-a wonderful space where creativity brings people together.”

Thanks Clare, we have enjoyed seeing the variety of fantastic work the students have produced, and in all sorts of mediums- from photography to fabric painting, collage, willow weaving… all sorts of skills on show.

If you would like to make a donation you can contact Cockermouth Linking Lives via their website or leave a donation with us at the centre. If you would like to purchase any of the art work you can do so when the centre is open- but we ask that the works be collected at the end of the exhibition (Friday 20th March).
Kirkgate History and Heritage

Music has always played an important part in people’s lives, and Cockermouth is no exception.  Groups of people have always come together to make music, whether through the companionship of playing instruments together or entertaining others and adding to a sense of community.  Here in Cockermouth most people will know of Billy Bowman, who opened his shop in town in 1983, driven by his love of music.  As a teenager Billy had joined his father’s band (another Billy!).  His auntie Florrie played piano in the same band.  They entertained people here and in the surrounding area, playing at social events and, at the end of WWII, leading the celebrations by performing on top of Main Street’s air raid shelter.

Images below: Billy Bowman and his Band in 1932, The Borough Band around WWI period.
Cockermouth also had a Borough Band, but many of its band members had to go away to fight in WWI – I wonder how many came back? Still going strong is the Mechanics’ Band. This may have had its roots back in the days of the Mechanics’ Institute, a nationwide movement, designed to instruct and educate working men. The Mechanics’ Institute building in Cockermouth was round the back of the present art and craft shop on Main Street (next to Koppers), and boasted a reading-room, as well as hosting talks on various topics. Books could be loaned and, when Cockermouth got its Carnegie Library (1904), the Institute’s books were passed on to the Library, along with an assortment of pictures and glass cases with stuffed bird and animals in (where did they go?). It is estimated that the Mechanics’ Band started around 1825, and is one of the oldest surviving brass bands in the country. Most town events feature performances by the Mechanics’ Band, whether it’s leading processions of various kinds, playing carols around the Christmas tree, or staging their own concerts.

Images below: Mechanics’ Band with Geoff Hunter leading, Industrial School band with boys from the school.
In the Victorian period the Cockermouth Industrial School (now the Strawberry How apartments and before that the Grammar School) had its own Band, that performed on different occasions and led processions. Going back to Georgian times there is an account of a band leading a procession of shalloon weavers through the town – quite possibly the young William Wordsworth may have stood and watched it pass his house:

Cumberland Pacquet, 4th February 1777:

“Yesterday the Wool-Combers and Shalloon Weavers of Cockermouth, to honour the memory of their Patron Bishop Blaize, paraded the streets in grand procession … [there were] seventy of the trade, walking two and two, elegantly dressed in white, having on large high caps, and sashes made of blue and red wool …” The men were accompanied by a ‘grand band of music’.

The tradition of music, bringing the community together, goes a long way back in the history of the town, and continues to this day.

Gloria Edwards
Kirkgate Quarter

This month is also your last chance to apply to perform at this year’s Cockermouth LIVE! Click on the logo below to apply. The team have been working hard over the last few months, bringing together another fantastic line up to fill the town with creativity. We hear from Tom Speight below…
“The 17th Cockermouth LIVE! returns in July promising to be bigger and even better than ever! Running from Thursday July 2nd to Sunday July 5th there will be something for everyone to enjoy. And there’s a few days left for you to apply to perform (see below) too! It’s an eclectic mix of ticketed music this year, ranging from Yoko Pwno, a Scottish 7 piece who mix traditional styles with soundscapes reminiscent of dub reggae; jazz supremos The Snake Davis Band full of saxes, flutes and whistles; The Paramount Brass Quintet in collaboration with Cockermouth Music Society ; and we welcome back the brilliant Sam Millne and the Virants!
Images above: Yoko Pwno, Snake Davis, Sam Millne and the Virants
But Cockermouth LIVE! 2026 will, as ever, mainly be about free events for everyone with local performers. Following on from the successful expansion of the festival last year, there will again be more space for slightly longer sets and more time to perform. There also promises to be a number of new venues across town taking part. And look out for a DJ set, a Blues night special tie-in with Cockermouth School and pop up events right around town.

There will also be The Mechanics’ concert picnic at the Castle as well as Cockermouth Community Orchestra’s annual festival finale at Christ Church on Sunday evening.

We will update plans as they emerge and will put out regular messages as performances are confirmed. Sunshine is already booked!

If you want to apply to perform this year, there’s still time but be quick – fill out the form on our website by the end of Sunday March 15th.

Finally. We need all the support we can get to make this fantastic, accessible town event happen. You can now become a Friend of Cockermouth LIVE! to support us – all details here.”
Treading the boards…

This month also sees the return of live theatre to the Kirkgate stage, with a brand new show from Laal Marra Productions. We have been working to support local producers in their creative endeavours over the last few years, and we’re delighted to be premiering ‘Short Supply’ at the end of this month.

Written by, and starring, Emma Rydal and Toby Gaffney ‘Short Supply’ is ‘a wry, romance looking at education and middle-aged dating in the UK’. Directed by Peter Macqueen the show also features the comedic and vocal talents of Stephanie Bradshaw.
After the success of ‘Soaked’ we can be sure of a great night of entertainment from the Laal Marra team. We’ve got our tickets, see you there!
World Book Day

March is the month that many parents dread, with World Book Day seeing a frantic scramble of creative costume making! But seeing young readers’ enthusiasm for their favourite characters and stories really does bring to life the words from the pages.

This month we have an author bringing to life his most recent children’s book in another way…
2025 was a busy year for retired Bermudian lawyer Warren Cabral. The London resident started his own publishing company, Wilton Books, released five novels for children, The Lakeland Mysteries, and won a silver medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards for one of them — The Fire on Slate Fell.  The series is set in the Lake District, principally around Cockermouth, and follows the adventures of two telepathic, mystery-solving sisters Isla and Mae Donaldson. These heroines are based on two real-life local girls, who just happen to be the author’s nieces.  When not at their primary school (based loosely on Fairfield Primary in Cockermouth), they investigate everything from a mystery illness in the town to a possible terrorist plot at Sellafield.  Mr Cabral has always written plays and short stories, but his children’s book career began as a fun exercise with his two nieces.  Taking a creative writing course, one of his assignments was to write a story based on a prompt given to him by someone else. The nieces gave him singer Ariana Grande, gorillas struggling with climate change and a virtual world.  Mr Cabral enjoyed writing the short story so much, he kept writing for his nieces long after the homework assignment was done.
“I would send them a story chapter by chapter,” he said. “They would read it. Their mother would read it, and my wife would read it and have a laugh.”

The more he wrote, the more serious he became.  After six months he found himself with five mystery novels for children, which Wilton Books released in paperback, e-book and audiobook formats at the same time.

“That is 15 products,” he said. “That tells the world that this is a serious company. With more products available, you have more impact in terms or internet viability.”

However, meeting readers in person is a vital part of bringing books to their audience, and so Mr Cabral will be in Cumbria towards the end of March to exhibit at the Cumbria Book Festival in Whitehaven on 21 March, give a talk at Fairfield Primary in the morning of Monday 23 March and then present a playback of the audiobook of The Fire on Slate Fell at the Kirkgate Centre from 4pm to 6:30pm.  The audiobook is narrated by award-winning voice artist Ian Russell, who will be familiar as the voice of numerous games and animations.

Said Mr Cabral, “I have a background in theatre, so the opportunity to do a live event in a wonderful arts centre like the Kirkgate, that was more than me just reading out loud, was tremendously appealing.  With a proper theatrical sound system, I can do justice to Ian’s fabulous recording, so that families can enjoy the thrill of listening together and hear the full story of The Fire on Slate Fell in all its drama (and humour, I hope!)”

The Lakeland Mysteries are available at independent bookshops throughout the Lakes, and also at Waterstones in Carlisle and on Amazon.com.

Other books in the series include The Vanishing Young of Rydal Cave, The Lad in the Lane, The Mystery of the Chemic Tavern and the Wolf of Ennerdale.
Click here to book FREE tickets to “The Lakeland Mysteries” audio theatre presentation here. Monday 23rd March 4pm.
EMMA’S LETTER
What a variety! Reading this month’s Chronicle reminds me of the breadth of our work here at Kirkgate Arts & Heritage. All kinds of creativity has space to flourish at the centre, whether it’s younger members of our community sharing their work or visiting professionals bringing us their latest productions.

It doesn’t stop there, with numerous groups and sessions for you to meet up with other creatives (music, poetry and crafts) now a regular part of the programme. It feels a long time since our lockdown closures, but the road to recovery for everyone in the community has not been easy. The need for charities such as Linking Lives is proof of that, with so many of us falling out of the habit of getting together perhaps we’ve forgotten just how important that is, to build friendships, to strengthen communities and to share creative experiences.

Following on from last month, and the theme of coming together, let’s make 2026 a whole year of that! Give that friend you haven’t seen in ages a ring, perhaps come along to see a film together, or join in a workshop- a shared activity can be a great way to break the ice.

Emma Heys
Chief Executive