Event to unveil town's £300k arts project plans

People have been invited to find out more about a three-year arts project which is set to make a town a "hub of entertainment" with singing, shows and workshops.

Creative Burntwood is being delivered by Lichfield Garrick Theatre, Lichfield District Council and Burntwood Town Council after nearly £300,000 funding from Arts Council England.

A drop-in event explaining what it "is all about" will take place at Chase Terrace Community Centre from 14:30 to 21:30 GMT on 14 January.

It would include presentations at 15:00 and 19:00, said organisers, adding the project promised "plenty of free and affordable creative opportunities", including for children.

Creative Burntwood aimed to make the former mining town "a hub of entertainment, learning and collaboration", with ts library, rugby club, leisure centre, Chase Terrace Community Centre and churches hosting activities.

Arts Council England said the project was part of its Place Partnership programme which uses National Lottery money.

When the funding was announced, Peter Knott, the previous Midlands area director, said it would "support large-scale cultural projects connecting people to local heritage, workshops and performances, improved creative education, a brand-new youth theatre programme and more".

The first events include interactive story-telling through movement for young children with The Story Detectives, puppetry with the Puppet Petting Farm and The Great Baldini's Magician Act.

Adults' entertainment includes shows Sherlock Holmes: The Death and Life, and Gav Cross's War of the Worlds, while Nicola Keen looks back with her interpretations of much-loved comedienne Joyce Grenfell.

Meanwhile, music lovers can join a Creative Burntwood Community Choir taster session.

"Burntwood is a brilliant community, full of untapped creativity and potential, and this project is about opening doors for people of all ages to get involved, try something new, and feel part of something special," said Daniel Buckroyd, CEO and artistic director of Lichfield Garrick Theatre.

Denise Orton Brown, Creative Burntwood project manager, said she had met with many organisations and people to explore plans for the first year.

"This project is being shaped by local voices and local spaces – and the ripple effect means that we have even more ideas for what people want," she said.

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