| Welcome to the September Kirkgate Quarter Chronicle. It’s already feeling autumnal, we can see the colours on the trees changing before our eyes from our office window at Kirkgate and we are gearing up for our September sports sale… |
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| Yes, Kirk Kit is back! There’s still time to register as a seller at this event, if you have any camping gear lurking in a cupboard, or if the kids have grown out of their footie boots, you can recycle your good quality items with us. All you need to do is register, label your items and drop them off, our volunteers will do the rest. The sale will be open over the Taste Cumbria weekend, 10am ’til 6pm Saturday 27th and 10am ’til midday on Sunday 28th.
Click on the button below for more info and to register. |
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| The Kirkgate Quarter will be kick-starting the Taste Cumbria weekend with a ‘Friday night chill-out’, although our usual Friday night film is giving way to preparations for the weekend sale, you can still spend the evening round our neck of the woods…
“Join us on Market Place from 7pm to 9pm on Friday 26 September for food, live music and cold drinks. We’ll provide some seating but you could bring your own camping chairs too.
Aupa Street Food will be selling their locally-sourced smash burgers and loaded fries, while Market Place businesses will also be serving and are happy for you to take your food and drink outside. Castle Bar, Seths Bar, Fermentos, Yummies Waffles and Shake, Blocks Steakhouse, Allerdale Court Hotel, Crooked River Brewing Co, The Market Place Print Studio and Market Place 41 will all be open that evening.
You could even bring your own picnic or grab a takeaway from elsewhere in town, but please leave your booze at home and buy from the Market Place premises. Award-winning vocalist Luke Matear, who you will recognise from previous Taste Cumbria festivals, will be performing some classics too. So start your Taste Cumbria Cockermouth weekend in style with some great tunes, good company and a few beers on what we hope will be a fantastic relaxed evening out.”
We had Luke performing at the Kirkgate for a private event not long ago- we’d definitely recommend catching his live set! |
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| Did you know…. our very own Kirkgate Pixie (Katie) performed with the band ‘Pecker’ at the 2019 Taste Cumbria food festival, to a determined and soggy audience… Hopefully the weather will be kinder to this years performers! |
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| There’s lots to get involved with at Kirkgate, not least of which is our part in the national ‘Your Freedom, Then and Now’ project. Hear more about that from our community projects officer, Helen, below.
If you’ve got some spare time (particularly in the evenings) and would like to be part of our team do get in touch. We have a variety of volunteering opportunities and at present are particularly looking for duty managers. If you think this is something you could help us with you can come in for a chat, arrange to shadow our existing volunteers to get a flavour of the role and meet Katy (our volunteer coordinator) before making any commitment. To find out more about volunteering with us you can visit our website here.
It’s been an incredibly busy year for us so far! Who knew turning 30 would be so jam packed?! There are still ways to celebrate this milestone with us, have you got your raffle tickets yet? Less than 30 days to go until we draw the 30 winners. You can enter online here or when you visit our box office. The last chance to be in with a shot at winning one of the fabulous prizes on offer will be at our 30th Anniversary Party in October, scroll down to hear more about it. |
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A DAY IN THE LIFE
A small team of staff and volunteers have been beavering away behind the scenes on all our special celebratory events this year, from the Castle Picnic to organising the raffle.
Next up on the team’s agenda is decorating the auditorium for the big birthday bash in October, and now it has been transformed by the redecoration, and installation of LED lighting, we have all sorts of ideas in the pipeline. Don’t worry, we will be sure to take plenty of photographs to share with you in next month’s edition of the Chronicle.
One of our devoted volunteer trustees has also been closely involved in the planning for our 30th Anniversary celebrations. Hear more from Sue Cliff below. |
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| Image above: Sue running one of our early Cooking@Kirkgate workshops |
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| “Being part of the development team for the 30th Anniversary year, has been a challenge but very rewarding at the same time. The picnic at the Castle was always going to be a great event- if people bought tickets and the weather played ball! Well, they did- and it did- just about. As a board we were extremely happy with the take up, and the positive feedback received after the event made all the worry worthwhile.
The “specialist” film committee did a splendid job of finding 30 films that had a connection to Cumbria (some easier to guess than others!) and again, people came out in force to re live films they loved- or hadn’t seen the first time round.
The 30th Anniversary Party in October has been interesting to assist with… finding local caterers who could work with our plan of a Cajun themed buffet was no easy task (thank goodness for Manon!), then we had to find the right band to get us in the party mood, and decide which weekend to stage it on?? Always a challenge in such a busy building. Bringing this all together is a mammoth task- one which Emma, Katie and the rest of the team do exceptionally well. The Board help where we can, and act as critical friends and “different perspective advocates”.
I am very proud to be able to say I am on the Board here- helping organisations in town to grow and serve the public with a variety of events and initiatives, is what gives me a great sense of satisfaction for my little input!!”
Thanks Sue, it’s great to have you on the team! |
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@HOME @KIRKGATE
A regular visitor to the centre, in many guises! This month we wanted to feature local culinary celebrity Manon Plouffe, who will be providing the food for our 30th Anniversary Party.
Manon has been sharing her passion for food in many of our Cooking@Kirkgate workshops over the last couple of years, and still has two more to lead before the end of the year with ‘All Things Pastry’ and ‘Fun Festive Food’ |
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| As well as being one of our professionals leading these sociable, entertaining and informative workshops, Manon brings her Wild Zucchinis team to the centre four times a year on a World Tour of Food! So far the team have taken our taste buds to Malaysia, Jamaica, Greece, France and Morocco, before stopping off in Spain earlier this month.
For December Manon is planning a Festive Feast, but where will our senses be taken? You’ll have to keep your eyes on the website to find out! Click on the image below to book your place at the table. |
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| We’re planning a Cajun theme to our Anniversary Party, with a New Orleans speakeasy feel… With the band name providing inspiration perhaps the recipe below could be on the menu? |
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| Sadly it turns out Harrisons Butchers don’t generally stock alligator at this time of year, but fear not! Manon has sent us her menu of Cajun delights! Hot off the press here’s what we’ll be having to fuel the dancing. |
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| To wash it all down we’ll be offering a drink on arrival, included in the ticket price. A bargain night out- food, drink, dancing and fun all for £30.
Get your tickets here. |
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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. Jessie and JP are running a second workshop as part of this project tomorrow (Wednesday 17th September) from 10.30am until 12.30pm.
What does Freedom mean to you?
We’d love to include your ideas into the community musical we’re creating, so come along and bring your creativity!
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.
Jessie and JP are working with participants to create a musical which will be performed by a community choir at the Cockermouth Christmas Lights Switch On on the 23rd November.
There’s more information about the national project on the Our Freedom: Then and Now website. |
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KIRKGATE 30th ANNIVERSARY PARTY
Did I mention we have a party coming up?…
Now that we’ve talked about the planning, and the menu, and the decorations, it’s time to focus on the music!
Alligator Gumbo are an exciting 7-piece band playing jazz from the hey-day of the New Orleans swing/jazz era, in particular the “roaring 20s”, when music was raw and largely improvised with melodies and solos happening simultaneously which has now become defined as the ‘New Orleans’ sound.
Performing extensively for over 10 years, Alligator Gumbo have made numerous appearances at prestigious international jazz festivals and clubs throughout the country, establishing themselves as firm favourites on the British jazz scene. The band continues to wow audiences far and wide with their good-natured mix of foot-stomping rhythms and toe-tapping tunes, and raucous singalongs!
Guaranteed to be a show like no other and not to be missed! |
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Check out Alligator Gumbo, live at Matt and Phreds Jazz Club, Manchester.
We’re sure you’ll ‘enjoy yourself’ at our 30th Anniversary Party! 🙂 |
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| We’re looking forward to letting our hair down and putting on our dancing shoes, and we do hope you’ll join us for a right good knees up! |
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KIRKGATE 30th ANNIVERSARY RAFFLE
We managed to include 30 films for 30 years in our summer Film Festival, and the ’30’ theme of our celebratory events this year continues. Thanks to generous donations from local individuals and businesses we are able to offer a whopping 30 prizes in our 30th Anniversary Raffle. |
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| Click on the image above to buy your raffle entry online, or you can call in at our box office. For a list of all the prizes on offer click here.
We’ll be thanking all the prize donors in the coming months in the Chronicle, and finding out how the winners enjoyed their prizes! |
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| I’m very much looking forward to our 30th Anniversary Party, not long to go now! Just today we received the menu from Manon and we had to share it with you, it’s making us all feel very hungry in the office. Superb sounding spread for what promises to be a really great night out.
Another date for the diary is the (dare I say it…) Christmas lights switch on. I know it’s only September but with a community musical to bring together in a matter of weeks I am sure our creatives, Jessie and JP, will be feeling the days fly past. They are both superb musicians and writers, and I have no doubt their guidance in the upcoming workshop will bring out the best in those who come along- to create a real grassroots community collaboration for the performance on the 23rd November. Do come along tomorrow morning if you would like to be part of this creative project. If you’d prefer to get involved with performing rather than creating, rehearsals for the community choir (led by JP Worsfold and Dave Camlin) start on the 24th of September, more information can be found on our website.
If you aren’t able to make it to the switch on, or would prefer an indoor experience!, we are also planning a repeat performance on Sunday 14th December at the Kirkgate Centre. Look out for more details soon.
Hopefully the worst of the rain is now over, so we can enjoy the delights of this month’s Taste Cumbria Food Festival. Do pop in over the weekend to browse the good on sale at our second Kirk Kit event, and perhaps get yourself a raffle ticket too. There’s something for everyone in the list of 30 prizes, huge thanks to all the businesses and individuals who have donated.
I’m looking forward to hearing more about them, and the prize winners, in future Kirkgate Quarter Chronicles.
Emma Heys
Chief Executive |
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