Welcome to Culture on a Shoestring! It’s a free online magazine aimed at people across Lancashire who would like to take part in free and low cost cultural activities taking place on their doorstep. We created the magazine because we’re a team of young producers who organised Blaze Festival last September, which showcased a range of art forms for the public to enjoy free of charge. It inspired us to find and promote other cultural happenings across the county that won’t break the bank! We really hope that
NatAsha CarTer Contributor I am an aspiring writer, composer, musician and a general enthusiast of all things, well, cultural!
SHONA thompsOn
Media Officer & Contributor
loves Blogger who s, filmrt a g performin being making and . ve ti crea
our work helps members of the c to experience great days out on a s budget. Enjoy issue #1 and please take a click the link at cultureonashoest and tell us what you think through survey!
@culturestring facebook.com/cultureonashoestri Part of:
Funded by:
OlLie bRiGgS Designer & Contributor Writer and designer obsessed with lightbulb s, the colour green and making the internet a more beautiful place.
LAUra forster Contributor An aspiring young artist of theatre, who loves France and all things shiny.
community shoestring
James Bowling
minute to tring.co.uk our online
Contributor
ing Partners:
Creative Lancashire
An aspiring young performer that loves all things creative, sporty and getting involved in the community.
Laura Haddick
AnThony PriCE
Project Manager & Contribuor
Editor & Contributor
Artist who loves film, sound art and discovering new ways to experience culture.
JoanNA emblEY
Contributor
I can be your photographer or actor.
A will-be cinematographer obsessed with everything film – especially if it’s Tarantino.
HANnah wHitLOW
Illustrator & Contributor
Aspiring artist who’s passionate about all things creative.
Kn&it Natter Last Summer I led a number of Sit & Knit workshops, including one at Blaze Festival in Miller Park, Preston. Lots of people joined me to sit in the sunshine surrounded by live music and colourful art, where we knitted strips to hang as decoration from a tree where I’d already created an installation using old vinyl records. I always find it rewarding to teach people to knit. However, if you didn’t have chance to catch one of my free knitting workshops, do not worry! There are many others in the North West ready to welcome newcomers. It’s a great way to socialise, learn a new skill or develop your knitting knowledge. If you’re in Burnley, there is a knitting group that meets at Burnley Campus Library on the second floor every fourth Wednesday of the month from 2pm ‘til 4pm. There you can join the small and friendly group of knitters who meet to natter whilst they knit. They’re usually working on their own projects but occasionally they get involved with larger projects such as the knitted garden displayed in Burnley town centre a couple of years ago. Each year they are also involved in knitting miniature hats for the Innocent Age UK Appeal. Anyone wishing to join them would be very welcome and should contact the library direct on 01282 682273.
a knitting group Meanwhile, Pendle Crafters have been running ley, for over two at District Coffee House on St James Street, Burn 10am to 12noon. and half years. They meet every Wednesday from ages, abilities and Everyone is welcome and they have people of all e with physical cultural backgrounds who come, as well as som us life limiting disabilities, mental health conditions and serio h but we have a conditions. They say, “we are a really mixed bunc t to learn, we can real laugh every week! If you can’t knit but wan knit etc. And teach anyone to knit, crochet, tunisian crochet, loom new members to we always have needles & yarn with us to give to natters more than help them get started. Some weeks the group the group is just as knits but that’s great because the social aspect of chinwag!” important as the crafting – and we all love a good buys a drink for There is no charge for the sessions, but everyone e for free. Anyone the sake of the Café who let the group use the spac fters@gmail.com wishing to contact the group can email pendlecra where you will or go to their website, pendlecrafters.vpweb.co.uk, well as any other find the details of the ‘Knit & Natter’ group as the Chai Centre activities such as the ‘Crazy Crafters’ sessions at e. every week where many different activities take plac
by Hannah Wh itlow
FREE
DVDs too expensive?
. . . g n i t n e R Try Only recently I’ve discovered that libraries across Lancashire, which are owned by the Council, offer their members loyalty schemes on book pre-orders, CD’s and DVD’s. You wander in, pick up the relevant card and you’re good to go. The way the system works is simple: rent a £2 DVD, stamp your card, get five stamps and you’ve earned yourself a free DVD rental... what’s more, you keep it for a week. Nice, eh?
DVD choices in Libraries So in case you imagine that the ure you that there are aren’t quite up to scratch I’ll ass top five followed by wild some brilliant films. Here’s my ilable to rent free of charge: card number six, which is ava ed by Guillermo del Pan’s Labyrinth (18) – Direct 1. Toro bert Rodriguez & Sin City (18) – Directed by Ro 2. entin Tarantino Frank Miller, Guest director Qu ected by Luc Besson The Fifth Element (PG) – Dir 3. by Quentin Tarantino Pulp Ficiton (18) – Directed 4. rick Hughes Red Hill (15) – Directed by Pat 5. 6.
Killer Elite (15) – Directed by
Gary McKendry
£2 each by Anthony Price
ByoutUhRthNeaLtrEeY Burnley Youth Theatre is a highly regarded, vibrant, innovative youth theatre, operating from its unique purpose built space near Queens Park in Burnley. Offering workshops in a variety of arts such as dance, drama, technical theatre and writing, the theatre is a hub for creative and aspirin g young people aged 3 – 25, where they can relax, have fun and create. Over the course of a year the organisation hosts over ten productions, including devised youth pieces and professional touring performances. BYT also delivers arts projects that involve outreach work in the local community. Young people are involved in and manage many aspects of the theatre, such as technical duties during performances and front-ofhouse volunteer work. The theatre is a registered charity and due to public funding provided by the Arts Council UK and funding from other partners all workshop fees are paid for as donations. The price of a regular workshop is £2.50, but if young people are unable to afford this the theatre ask that attendees donate what they can. For more information check out their website: www.burnleyyouththeatre.org
£2.50 Donation
by Ollie B riggs
a BarRel of Laughs The Frog and Bucket is on the corner of Lords Walk in the shadow of Preston’s historic bus station. It opens its doors for free at 7pm every Wednesday and the comedy gets going around 8:30pm (enough time for you to get your food and drinks in!) so you’re ready to sit back, relax, and let the laughter begin. The comedy club is compact with a small stage for the comedians to showcase their material on. It’s extremely welcoming and all the members of staff are brilliant. The atmosphere gets lively with the smell of anticipation waiting for the night to begin! At first, a few comedians take to the stage to warm the audience up and it’s then that the real fun begins with the ‘Beat the Frog’ competition. For ‘Beat the Frog’, three people from the audience are chosen by the host and given huge cards stamped with a green frog. Each comedian has five minutes to perform, during which these three audience members decide whether they like their material or not.
If not, they hold their cards up and if all three frogs are raised before the comedian’s five minutes are up then they’re kicked off the stage! The Frog and Bucket is a very interactive comedy club with cheap prices for food and drink. You do have to be over 18 to attend due to the content of some of the comedy. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed the comedy club – it was a fantastic and atmospheric night. Great value drinks and free entry! I now go every Wednesday and take friends as I enjoy it so much.’ – Lauren McCart ‘Great night out, free entry, cheap drink, what could be better? All variety of comedy under one roof and all in one night – perfect!’ – Will Chambers
FREE by Joanna Embley
“DT3 and Stages have joined forces to bring you another unique gig that rocks Market Square in Lancaster.” That is how the event organizers described the gig. The question is, do I agree? Yes! It definitely is a unique gig that rocks the square! The buzz in the town centre is amazing! Featuring some of Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding area’s best young acoustic acts playing live in Market Square, Rock The Square is unmiss-able. It’s a chance to listen to new music, up and coming talent and best of all, it’s free!!! The last Rock The Square was back in December 2012, featuring artists including Fred Callaghan and Joe McCorriston. Joe said, ‘’I thought Rock The Square was a cool event and it was nice to be playing to new people who by chance were walking through the town centre, even though it was freezing!” It would normally cost you around £4 - £6 to see these artists all at once at a music event. If it’s raining the event is moved into the library – you know the saying. The show must go on! Rock The Square is part of First Fridays, which have been taking place since October and are organised to promote Lancaster Arts City. Every First Friday of the month, Lancaster Arts Partners offer a range of mainly free events, encouraging people to try out something new on the arts scene. For more information and to find out when the next Rock The Square is on go to the Dukes Young people’s Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/thedukesyoungpeople
FreE eVEnt
by Shona Thompson
OXHEY’S MILL STUDIOS y, is located Oxheys Mill Studios, an artist-run studio and galler Preston city from walk in a converted mill about twenty minutes’ their work centre. In January, the studio’s resident artists showcased was really in an exhibition around the theme of ‘winter’. The show – from one every for there interesting and varied with something this think I photography to painting and even crochet sculpture. worth a visit to is definitely one of Preston’s hidden gems and well anyone on a quest to expand their cultural horizons! y – the venue If you missed the winter exhibition, don’t worr ing on 14th shows artwork quite regularly with the next event open to get in on free letely March. Need another reason to go? It’s comp ition is yet to Fridays and Saturdays! The theme of March’s exhib more at www. be announced so keep your eyes peeled to find out oxheysmillstudios.com provides studio As part of Preston’s fine art community, Oxheys Mill work as well as spaces where some of our local artists can make their showcase it. If you’re an artist and want to know more, drop them a line through the website!
by J am es Bowling & dick L aura H ad
Images copyright Denise Swanson
Not a Reader?
GO TO A LIBRARY There is a place where you can explore the vast planes of the Sahara Desert, lose yourself in the thick underbrush of the uncharted areas of the Amazon and sink into the undiscovered dark depths of the ocean, all without leaving Lancashire. This place is a library. With millions of books of all genres at your disposal, it is possible to experience anything. The English language is a marvellous thing; it can take you anywhere with a few whispered words. You can get lost in any time period and any country, all while staying close to home. But libraries are something that we tend to take for granted. They are a free way to immerse yourself into culture. They contain millions of books that are ripe for the picking, just waiting for your perusal. You can experience the upper classes of Nineteenth Century England if you read a novel by Jane Austen, or perhaps you would prefer to immerse yourself in the land of fairy tales by reading stories by the Brothers Grimm. Or is something more factual like information on the Egyptians more to your taste? At any rate, there is something for everyone and for whatever mood you may be in. Why not take advantage of this? Lancashire writer Jeanette Winterson, famous for novels such as Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, is an author that you can find in most, if not all, libraries. She is also a dedicated supporter of libraries and their gateway into culture. In her article for The Guardian, she argues strongly that we should protect our local libraries and reinvent them for future generations. She poses the question “What place do [libraries] have in a modern internet-based world where the book itself might be disappearing?�
Libraries are trying to accommodate the changes that the “modern internet-based world” has brought on. Not only are you able to download eBooks and audio books for free but you also have access to online sources like the Oxford English Dictionary, Encyclopaedia Britannica, DNB, Times Digital Archive, Credo Reference, Theory Test Pro, Who’s Who, Grove Art, Grove Music, Kompass and British Standards. Lancashire County Council pays the subscriptions for these so you don’t have to, and it is even possible to access these online rather than going to the library itself. You can track down your family history, look at old newspapers and even practise for your driving theory test! So even if you’re not a reader there are still several ways for you to experience the culture a library has to offer. Going to a library does not mean that your only social life will be with a book and its characters, sitting together on a chilly night in front of a warm fire with a cup of tea. You can meet new people by joining clubs for various board games including Scrabble, or join craft sessions, even celebrate the Chinese New Year… There is so much that you can get involved in that you may never have a free evening again. Whether you are an avid reader and want to take advantage of the millions of books available to you or someone who just wants to meet new people, everywhere you turn in a library culture is freely available. So immerse yourself in these cultural experiences, relish in the free services provided and, most of all, have fun doing so.
by Nata sh a Carter
FREE
Free days out in Blackpool during February Blackpool has so much to offer all year round, even in the depths of winter! Here are some cheap and cheerful ideas for a fabulous February at the seaside… Comedy Carpet This carpet is a huge collage of jokes, songs and catchphrases of comedians past and present. It makes for an entertaining walk along the seafront! On the promenade outside Blackpool Tower (FY1 4BJ) Open all day every day £ Free www.comedycarpet.co.uk Stanley Park Visit Stanley Park for a stroll in the winter sunshine and enjoy the family events and attractions including a boating lake and award-winning Model Village and Gardens. Stanley Park FY3 9HQ Open 9am-5pm 7 days a week £ Free admission Wide range of activities from £1 - £6.50 www.friendsofstanleypark.org.uk
Kai-Oi Jay Yung: Amongst Dark Trees, A Clearing This is an exhibition in a range of different media exploring loss and liberation from suffering. Grundy Art Gallery FY1 1PU 19th January – 9th March 2013 Monday – Saturday 10am-5pm £ Free Community workshops week beginning 4th March Artist in conversation 23rd February, 5th and 6th March www.grundyartgallery.com Face Painting Festival Part of Showzam, this is a festival where you can watch face paint demonstrations, take part in workshops (visit website to book), buy supplies and enter competitions. The Horseshoe, Pleasure Beach FY4 1EZ £ Free www.showzam.co.uk Wookey Hole Youth Circus Talented troupe of young people performing some incredible feats and sharing their skills in workshops throughout Showzam! Olympia, Winter Gardens FY1 1HW 15th – 24th February 2013 £ Free Workshops 1pm and 3pm Performances 12pm, 2pm and 4pm www.showzam.co.uk PS Keep an eye out for when the Cycle Blackpool bring their bikes out of hibernation this spring – you can rent them from automated hubs all over town and ride them to all these attractions for the bargain price of £1 per hour! For more information, visit www.cycleblackpool.co.uk
FREE
by L aura H addick
Get Behind your Local Cinema!
One minute we’re recoiling away from Bernard Herrmann’s screeching violin and the next we’re striding down the street, suited and booted like a true Reservoir Dog. That is, for me, the film experience. It’s an experience that becomes amplified by the cinema. The excited chatter that occurs as the credits roll on the latest and greatest from your favourite filmmaker adds to the overall, albeit expensive, experience. But can you get that same experience, that same excitement in a way that eases the strain on tighter wallets? Well, let me introduce you to The Palace Cinema in Longridge. A family-run establishment purchased in 1976 long after starting life as a weaving shed, becoming a music hall, roller skating rink, a silent movie cinema and a bingo hall. For most of its life the Palace Cinema has been part of the community as an entertainment hub and continues with tradition by showing the latest films in its single-screen auditorium.
The cinema now holds the title of being one of the oldest cinemas in the North West and because of its history the owners are heading back in time through pictures and memories – can you help with that? Do you have any photos, posters or any other Palace memorabilia stowed away? If you do, drop them a line! It’d be fairly cool knowing that you helped towards building a show of images for the cinema’s 100th Birthday whilst choosing the venue as your first point of call to watch the latest blockbuster. The Palace is truly a great little building that offers you the latest films at the seriously low cost of £5 per adult ticket! A comparison of cinema ticket prices: Vue, Adult = from £6.95 - £8.15 Vue, Child = From £5.20 - £6.10 Odeon, Adult = From £7.10 - £8.40 Odeon, Child = From £5.45 - £6.45 The Palace, Adult Ticket = £5 The Palace, Child Ticket = £4
by Anthony Price
£
5 £ 4-
Spot light Lan cast er ‘Spotlight at The Yorkshire House – possibly the best performance venue in the North West.’ - Audience member Spotlight is based in the heart of the cultural city of Lancaster. Each performance night happens on the third Friday of each month, starting at 8:00pm. The majority of the performances are held in the Storey Gallery, on Meeting House Lane in Lancaster, beginning with an open mic session from 8:30-9:00pm consisting of 5-minute slots open to anyone. These slots prove very popular so prior booking is recommended. Each Spotlight event showcases four different writers and two music acts, giving talented performers from across the North West a platform to demonstrate their work. The nights are always lively and have a great atmosphere, but you don’t have to be a professional performer to participate. If you have some songs you want to share or poems that you wish to showcase then this is the event for you! During the cold winter months Spotlight events are held indoors, and during the warmer months they are held in Binns Park. Open mic performers are admitted half price on the night but at only £5, it’s doubtful many will be complaining! Spotlight’s website www.spotlightlancaster. co.uk is well worth a look as the event is a lively, cheap night out for talented young artists and for art lovers wanting to save a few pennies. Spotlight was founded in 1995 to support young artists in the North West. They encourage diversity and welcome everybody’s views and beliefs.
by L aura Forster
FREE
somewhereto_ is funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK.
Small Budget?
Don’t Panic! About this time last year, I came up with the million pound idea that would be perfect for my Fine Art degree show at UCLan. Never mind that I needed to get hold of surround sound speakers, professional PA equipment and move a real life ton of gravel into the studio, I was going to find a way to make it work on a shoestring! Here are my tips for getting something for (next to) nothing… Beg, borrow or steal (Okay, maybe not steal…) - It’s amazing how many people have stuff lying around that would be perfect in realising your creative vision - use your networks! I borrowed surround sound speakers for my installation in exchange for cleaning, re-wiring and re-covering them using offcut material from the haberdashery. -
At university? Make it your business to know about the facilities and know-how at your disposal. I was lucky enough to have tutors to teach me to use UCLan’s sound editing software and technicians to lend me the PA equipment I needed to play the beautifully polished results!
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Approach local businesses. I wanted a ton of limestone chippings in the studio for people to walk on, but there was no way I wanted to keep it forever! After a lot of phoning around, I came across Travis Perkins who were happy to deliver it to the studio and take it away several months later, all for the small delivery fee of £4.80. I had to take it inside myself with a borrowed wheelbarrow so there was the added bonus of my developing muscles Arnie would be proud of!
The end result was a sound installation created to describe a railway tunnel with the floor covered in those chippings, microphones to pick up crunchy footsteps and newly polished speakers to play dripping sounds and echo those footsteps around the space.
All for less than £10. Speaker jacks – 5x 34p = £1.70 Material offcuts - £2.80 Limestone delivery charge - £4.80 Friends, family and UCLan = Priceless Total = £9.30
by L aura H addick
Culture on a Shoestring is a Blaze project created by Blaze young producers. Blaze is a partnership project led by Lancashire County Council and was commissioned for WE PLAY, the North West Cultural Legacy Programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Blaze is funded by Legacy Trust UK and Arts Council England. The magazine is funded by the Money for Life Challenge, a national competition that provides ÂŁ500 grants to empower teams of 16-24 year olds to develop innovative money management projects that impact their communities.
DESIGNED BY OLLIE BRIGGS