Arts for All?

Last week saw the publication of a reportby the Warwick Commission called 'Enriching Britain: Culture, Creativity and Growth'.

In the introduction it states:

"The key message from this report is that the government and the Cultural and Creative Industries need to take a united and coherent approach that guarantees equal access for everyone to a rich cultural education and the opportunity to live a creative life. There are barriers and inequalities in Britain today that prevent this from being a universal human right. This is bad for business and bad for society."

It is a complex and fascinating document and one of its key areas of concern was the reduction in the amount of arts education now available to children in schools. "DfE and Ofsted must ensure that all children up to the age of 16 receive a cultural education in order to ensure their life-long engagement and enjoyment as audiences and creators. In addition, policymakers and educators should do their utmost to give young people at all stages of the education system exposure to the multi-disciplinary mix of science, technology, arts, humanities and enterprise that underpins creative success in the UK."

In its own very small way, Tarvin Community Centre works towards this end by bringing excellent children's theatre to the village. Working with Cheshire Rural Touring Arts they have access to professional companies who would otherwise be too expensive to hire. This also means that they can keep ticket prices affordable.

Sue Hardacre, Committee Member says "There is something special about taking children to the theatre and watching their reaction to the performances of live human beings. All small children are instinctively creative and imaginative and anything that fosters this is to be welcomed. Creativity is not just about plays or music, but it is an essential part of furthering science, technology and enterprise. We are delighted to be able to play a very small part in this great process"

The next performance for children will be CAKE on March 6th at 4.15pm. Tickets are available for sale in the Post Office, from Sue on 01829 741962 or online at www.cheshireruraltouringarts.ticketsource.co.uk They will be available on the door, but as refreshments for children are part of the ticket price it would be helpful if tickets could be purchased in advance.

For more information on all Community Centre activities please go to www.tarvincommunitycentre.org or visit www.facebook.com/tarvincc