Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust Information Bulletin — Issue No. 25, September 2005
Community Regeneration
Arts And Festivals
Festivals Go from Strength To Strength
The 2005 festival programme has been very successful both in terms of attendance figures and in audience appreciation.
The Wigan One World (WOW) Festival was witnessed by nearly 5,000 people at Mesnes Park on 7th August, with a further 4,000 people attending events related to the WOW Festival, such as the ‘Crossing Waters’ exhibition at the Turnpike Centre in Leigh.
Michael Rycroft, Festivals Manager, said, "The WOW Festival at Mesnes Park was a spectacular success. To see so many people of all ages and cultural backgrounds coming together in one place to have fun and celebrate multiculturalism in the heart of Wigan was fantastic."
Despite inclement weather in Wigan, Hot on the Streets was again a resounding success with maintained attendance figures at the Market Place. Acts included the superbly supple duo DeRamos from Brazil, the Black Eagles, Jason Maverick and locally spun talent from The Daughters of Isis, dance group, Step by Step and Jessica Brito.
Atherton Hots was staged at St Richard’s Parish Centre Grounds in July, with the Leigh dates following on. Again, despite some rainy activity in Leigh, performers still attracted good audiences.
The Turnpike Centre also received a bonus, by hosting, as a contingency, some of the performances.
Overall, there is a real sense of 'feelgood factor' for these events, with positive comments of how it 'brightens up the town centre and gives the kids something to do'. We are also noticing a build up of core audience for each day, especially amongst our family residents and young people.
The final festival of the season is the Hag Fold Community Festival that takes place at Dorset Road Field, Atherton on 10th September. The festival, which is jointly funded by the Trust and SRB5, is a celebration for and about the people who live on the Hag Fold Estate.
Local people, together with the Trust’s Communtiy Regeneration Officers, have been meeting regularly since February to plan the event. Costume and decoration workshops have been held with local primary schools and community groups over the summer.
The Arts Factor
The Arts Factor is an afternoon of performances and presentations that celebrates the arts scene in Wigan Borough and emphasizes arts achievements in the borough's communities as well as profiling its professional practitioners.
The event also informs the audiences of the emerging themes and priorities for the new Arts Strategy that will be implemented from March 2006.
The afternoon has been titled The Arts Factor, as this is the essence of all arts development work, a quality ingredient of how we work together and how the arts, in its many forms and practices, can have a positive impact on our lives.
We are particularly encouraging senior colleagues to attend who may have influence in using the arts in cross cutting ways, who need to raise awareness of how the arts adds value in so many ways.
The Arts Factor will be hosted at St.Joseph's Hall, Mather Lane in Leigh on Saturday 1st October from 1.30pm to 5.30pm.
For further information on all arts and festivals events, contact Chris Wyatt, Community Regeneration Manager, on 01942 486929.
Turnpike Gallery Boost
Wigan Artists’ Open Exhibition, ‘Objects of Desire’, (30th April to 11th June) attracted an increased number of submissions this year from 2004. Visitor figures were 1415, representing an increase of 42% on the previous year. This included twelve school class visits with 328 pupils.
The ‘Crossing Waters’ exhibition, (25th June to 6th August), in partnership with the WOW Festival and Brouhaha in Liverpool, had 1813 visitors and nine workshops were held. Participants on the workshops numbered 411 (children aged 2-14, plus adults).
The Turnpike Gallery put on a display at the Aimhigher Roadshow event at the Royal Northern College of Music on 12 July (officially opened by Bez!). The event showcased work by the Whitworth Gallery partners (Turnpike Gallery, Gallery Oldham and Hatworks, Stockport) and the work that students at each gallery had developed.
The Turnpike will receive support and funding to work on three projects (October 2005 – March 2006) with students from Wigan and Leigh College, St John Rigby and Bedford High School.
YOUTH AND COMMUNITY
Kick Racism Out Of Football
As we head towards October, Wigan’s Kick Racism Out Of Football campaign is readying itself for a fortnight of exciting activities, following the successful fun football festivals held at Mesnes Park as part of the WOW Festival.
Two community festivals of football for adults will take place – one over on the east of the borough on Sunday 16th October, between 12.00 noon and 4pm, at Westleigh High School. The other festival takes place in Wigan, on Sunday 23rd October – again from 12.00 noon at Abraham Guest High School.
Adults aged 16+ are being encouraged to participate in these mixed gender events and, in the case of the first festival, Leigh Centurions and Leigh RMI will be sponsoring the day – with the rugby club running a Tackle Racism Tournament in parallel to the football.
Between 10th and 22nd October, the National History of Black Footballers’ Exhibition will be on display at the Turnpike Gallery in Leigh, and the Steering Group is hopeful that the New Pioneers, Past Masters and Future Challenges Exhibition can also be secured this year.
Funding Officer Post
After a year of great success, Elaine Hiser, Funding Officer, is leaving on 2nd September, to take-up a new challenge with Manchester City Council. Colleagues across Community Regeneration and cultural voluntary sector groups will be sorry to see her leave such has been the commitment, energy and success she has brought to the role.
Elaine has successfully raised £100,000 for community groups during her period with the Trust.
The project will continue to help secure funding in line with community needs and aspirations. However, the job description has been amended to reflect the project's evolution and response to the needs with which Elaine has been consistently presented.
This will inevitably mean that the new post-holder's work is more focused, and the targets will be more modest short-term with outcomes hopefully more sustainable in the long-term.
The good working relationships Elaine has established with colleagues in Economic Regeneration and at Wigan and Leigh CVS will, of course, be maintained given the importance of joined-up working in the provision of funding advice.
Cultural Toy Making Scheme
The Cultural Toy Making Scheme was launched in the Wigan Borough in spring 2004. The success of the scheme was recently recognised nationally by the Home Office in its Community Cohesion Toolkit. Work on the Hag Fold Estate features as a model of good practice from which others across the country might learn.
The work in the Wigan Borough was co-ordinated by the Trust’s Community Development Officer, Kirsty Atherton, led by freelance artist Khadija Ingar and hosted by The Early Years and Family Resource Centre on Hag Fold, Atherton.
Over the three-month period of the scheme, weekly workshops attracted between 12 and 15 women, who developed friendships and mutual support networks. The scheme helped to break down ill-informed prejudice and enhanced people’s social sense of belonging and well-being. Participants learned new craft skills, grew their understanding of ethnic difference and others’ culture, exhibited their works at the Turnpike Gallery in Leigh and paraded in their costumes as a part of the WOW Carnival Procession in Mesnes Park during early August.
New Linc Website
The Youth Development Team has been working with Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s IT Team and Positive Futures to create a brand new web-site for young people.
The site, Linc Online (www.wlct.org/linconline) features extensive links to local and national services offering support, advice and information to young people on lots of topics from teenage pregnancy, bullying, health and careers to managing your money. The site also includes lots of information on local clubs and activities for young people.
The magazine parts of the site offer all young people the chance to contribute to the site themselves on subjects ranging from entertainment, music and theatre reviews, local projects and interviews to articles on their own life experiences or views on any subjects important to them.
The Linc Online has been at a pilot stage throughout July and August, when comments from young people and those working with young people have been invited.
The site will be marketed to young people during September and October.
Any young people who want to contribute to either the web-site or The Linc newspaper, can email linconline@wlct.org or contact Andrea Smith or Kennedy Stewart on 01942 486923.
Sport and Healthy Living
Active Life
Inclusive Fitness Initiative
On Friday 2nd September, boxing hero and patron of the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) Michael Watson MBE, will unveil Robin Park Sports Centre and Arena as an official IFI facility. The former Commonwealth Middleweight Champion will be special guest for an afternoon of sports activities designed to showcase inclusive sport at its best. Hindley Pool and Sports Centre is also set to receive the accreditation, ensuring Wigan will be the first borough in the UK to receive dual-site recognition from the IFI.
The IFI is a Sport England funded project that supports facilities across the country to make improvements in access, fitness equipment, staff training and sports development. The IFI aims to make fitness suites and facilities more freely available to people with disabilities.
Michael Watson, who was brain-damaged following his WBO Championship bout with Chris Eubank, is a true advocate of what can be achieved through physical activity. His remarkable comeback, highlighted by his completion of the London Marathon in 2003, is an example of how important it is that sport and health facilities are made accessible to all.
Some of the improvements carried out by the Trust that have helped lead to the IFI accreditation include:
- £70k spent to transform the cricket hall at Robin Park into a multi-games hall (used regularly by the disabilities sports club).
- £20k spent on improving access to Robin Park and to provide specialist equipment for gym users with disabilities.
- £110k investment at Hindley Pool to transform it into a specialist facility for swimmers with disabilities.
- Extra training for staff in Disabilty Equity and fitness instructors being trained to deliver safe and appropriate exercise programmes.
- A brand new inclusive fitness suite at Hindley Sports Centre costing £210k including improved access and specialist equipment.
Sports Development
Summer Camps Thriving
The summer holidays have been packed with great sports activity sessions ranging from taster courses to competitions and camps, for both beginners and experts.
The most popular feature of the summer programme has been the Multi- Sport Camps. The six camps were booked up within weeks of the summer brochure going out. In total the Multi-Sport Camps have resulted in over 500 young people enjoying different sports and activities such as rounders, basketball, cricket, football, netball and dance.
Also included in this year’s action packed programme were a variety of singular sports camps such as basketball, tennis, netball, hockey and rounders. Some of the notable successes include:
- Three netball camps held at Howe Bridge and Robin Park for all young netballers. In total over 80 girls attended the camps.
- The four basketball camps held over the summer, attended by over 100 young people.
- The two-day Hockey Camp held at Deanery High School, attended by over 40 young people. Many of those who attended have now joined Wigan Hockey Club.
Rugby Camps – ‘Best Yet’
This year’s summer rugby camps have been hailed as the best yet by all involved. The Rugby League Satellite Camps, run by Sports Development, in partnership with Wigan Warriors, have been attended by over 400 young people. All those who participated in the camps have received a free match ticket to the Wigan versus Leeds game on Friday 2nd September and will parade around the pitch at half time.
The camps, run in conjunction with the Wigan Warriors Community team headed by Mick Hannan and the Riversiders Supporters Club, took place in the communities of Hindley, Ince, Shevington and Norley Hall. They have created an excellent foundation for the young people of Wigan to gain access to an already vibrant sport.
"The camps have simply been the best to date. The relationship we have with the Warriors has ensured that the young people of Wigan now have access to a very professional and enjoyable sporting experience in the summer holidays," said the Trust’s Sport Development Officer, John Winder.
Summer Star:track Success
Budding athletes have been kept busy in the borough this summer. Several Norwich Union Star:track schemes have been organised across the borough with the support of the Trust’s Sports Development Unit. Norwich Union Star:track is a national athletics initiative run through UK Athletics and is designed to offer youngsters a fun introduction into athletics. Each scheme offers youngsters the opportunity to take part in running, jumping and throwing as well as gaining a fantastic goody bag for their efforts.
Several schemes ran at Robin Park Arena, including a scheme for youngsters with disabilities. This scheme has been recognised once again, and as such received additional funding from UK Athletics as part of their commitment to valuing diversity.
Leigh Harriers AC also ran a highly successful scheme attracting over seventy youngsters from the Leigh area. This scheme also attracted additional funding from UK Athletics Valuing Diversity program.
In total, Wigan’s program has attracted around 200 children, and feedback from all the youngsters has been positive.
Primary Schools Festival
The Wigan Primary Schools Olympic Festival was held at Robin Park in June 2005. Eight sports were involved: indoor athletics, girls’ cricket, girls’ football, High 5's, basketball, rugby league and rugby union. Over 1300 children took part.
The event was split into an East and West heat with the winning school from each side of the borough having a playoff to find an overall winner. The event was also used to identify Wigan teams for the mini youth games.
Commercial Services
Tourism
Wigan – Premier Town
Wigan Athletic’s first appearance in the 2005/06 Premiership spotlight was memorable. The team may well have lost to Premier League Champions Chelsea, however the quality of the performance has endeared the team, and indeed the town, to football audiences the world over.
As expected, the media spotlight fell on the town both before and after the Chelsea game. In preparation for this, the working group established to promote the town on the back of Latics’ success (including the Trust’s Marketing and PR team), had put together a ‘Wigan – Premier Town’ Media Pack. The pack was introduced to journalists at the Wigan Athletic media day; it has been sent to 50 editors and journalists and filled the tables of the Media Room at the JJB Stadium on the opening Sunday fixture.
The results thus far have been excellent, with positive coverage about the town appearing within features on Sky Sports, Sky News and Sky Sports News, Transworld Sport, Network BBC News, regional and national radio, the Sunday Observer, Independent, Guardian and Times, regional and local press. And the media interest remains. Watch out for a Match of the Day profile of Wigan very soon.
To accompany the media and all future marketing activity, the working group has published a ‘Wigan – Premier Town’ guide. The launch of the guide came in the same week that all gateway points into the Borough had signs erected that welcomed visitors with the boast; Wigan – home of Super League and Premiership football.
Wigan Tourist Information Centre has opened an Accommodation Desk in partnership with the Wigan Hotel Network.
The group is now on with other activities: Organising familiarisation visits for travel writers and Inward Investors; bringing together transport providers and highways managers in order to minimise transportation disruption during any Premiership Fixture and town centre retailers and pubs are looking to put together packages and incentives for visitors.
Wigan Athletic’s success on the pitch will be shared with the borough as a whole. Wigan in the Premiership will mean that an additional 200,000 visitors will come to the town, which will equate to an economic boost of primary income alone estimated to be worth over £10M.
Marketing and Public Relations
New Team Established
In line with the new Marketing Strategy for the Trust, a central Marketing Team is now in place to support line managers with all of their marketing, planning and promotional activity.
Georgina Bentley, Marketing Operations Manager, heads up the Marketing Department with a team of four marketing officers:
- Joe Woodford - Sport and Healthy Living
- Gillian Cailey - Enterprises
- Jennifer Cockram - Arts, Festivals and Community Development
- Sarah Challender - Libraries, Heritage and Parks & Countryside
Chris Dunbar has now been officially appointed as full-time Public Relations Officer for the Trust and is working alongside the Marketing Team to support a vast range of initiatives, projects and events.
International Jazz Festival
The 20th Wigan International Jazz Festival took place in July, using two new main venues.
The headline Manhattan Transfer and Count Basie concerts took place at the Pier Centre on Pottery Road to audiences of over 700 each night, both records of the Festival. Six concerts were also held at the JJB Stadium with near 400+ full houses on two nights.
The quality of support and team effort provided by Marketing, PR and the TIC was critical in ensuring this year’s event was successful and, on the whole, was very well received by some 4,000 people who attended the Festival.
Libraries, Information and Heritage
History Shop
Heritage Man Moves On
The Trust’s Heritage Services Manager, Alastair Gillies, retired at the end of July after more than 28 years' dedicated service to the borough.
56 year old, Belfast-born Alastair came to the rescue when the Victorian former Wigan Reference Library closed its doors for the final time in 1990. The Library Street building was destined for property developers until Alastair persuaded councillors to invest £100,000 in creating a unique showcase for the borough’s rich heritage.
The History Shop stands as a permanent reminder of Alastair’s hard work, as will Past Forward, the magazine he founded, which today boasts a world-wide circulation of 10,000.
Carole Tyldesley, Wigan Pier Manager, has been appointed as the new Head of Heritage Services.
Library Services
Libraries Launch New Opening Hours
New extended opening hours will be piloted at libraries throughout the Borough from 5th September. In total the libraries will be open for an extra 50 hours per week.
Throughout October, libraries hold a programme of interesting and exciting events:
National Bookstart Day – 7th October
In line with the National Bookstart Programme distributing free books to babies, Leigh Library will be hosting a number of fun activities including a teddy bear’s picnic, and storyteller events.
Family Learning Week – 8th to 16th October
Libraries will be holding a variety of activities throughout the week including, ‘Parenting Skills Workshops’, ‘Story Telling Techniques’ and ‘How To Encourage Your Child to Read’.
Environmental Management
Parks and Countryside
National Playday Success
Pennington Flash held one of its most well attended events ever in August. National Playday on 3rd August, saw over 2,500 youngsters and their families enjoy a feast of fun and adventurous play activities.
The day, which attracted TV and radio coverage, was organised by the Trust’s Play Team, who worked closely with the staff at Pennington to ensure everyone who attended had a fun time in a safe environment.
Play Plot Promotion
To help promote the new Sure Start Children's initiative across the borough, Wigan Sure Start has created a four-minute television commercial. This will detail the work to date including all the various projects that take place, and how they help families across Wigan, and development of the Children's Centres.
One such successful project, the Play Patch on Platt Lane, Hindley, was filmed on the afternoon of Monday 22nd August.
The commercial will be shown on a large plasma television screen located in the Galleries Shopping Centre, Wigan, throughout the week commencing 12th September 2005, between 9:00am and 5:00pm, Monday to Saturday.
Apart from hitting Sure Start’s targets it is hoped that the commercial will highlight the Trust's commitment to forging sustainable partnerships and to deliver quality facilities to communities throughout the borough.