Activity Packs From The Boaty Theatre Company

The Boaty Theatre Company are a small charity based in Ellesmere Port. We have been performing in and around Ellesmere Port for the last 10 years or so, starting our journey at the National Waterways Museum, hence our name!!

At the beginning of 2020 we performed 3 sell-out nights at the Lowry in Salford, a massive achievement for our cast, crew and director Laura Harris. With the profit we made from our time at the Lowry, we invested in our dream of creating an Arts-based community hub in the centre of town and so opened 'The Boat Shed' on Whitby Road. Just five days after officially opening our doors to welcome people in, with three shows scheduled and an art exhibition ready for viewing, we had to close our doors due to the Covid-19 crisis.

We quickly adapted to helping our community in the best way we know how. We moved all our rehearsals online and kept our social groups going virtually so we could make sure every one of our regular beneficiaries were safe and well.

We were awarded funding from Cheshire Communities Foundation and Cheshire West and Chester to provide 100 activity bags to families struggling with the cost of homeschooling, these were distributed through local schools to ensure they got to the children that needed them most. Due to some savvy shopping around, we were able to extend our 100 bags to 400 bags! Which we were super happy to deliver.

Thank you to our funders and our team of three happy sorters for helping us to put these packs together and get them to those that need them. We have received some feedback that has made us smile!

We plan to extend this project now by providing a summer program, funded by Edsential we will be providing 4 hours of virtual workshops every weekday throughout the summer holidays ranging from drama and writing to yoga! We are providing the materials needed to participate and we are offering a free packed lunch to 30 children on free school meals thanks to funding from ASDA Ellesmere Port.