They were joined in the parade by groups from Valuing Older People & The Intergenerational Project who also wanted to celebrate music. They dressed as various music stars & genres & were led by a giant Jukebox & flanked by inflated music symbols.

The photos of the parade were taken by www.mcrphotographer.co.uk.

Designed to be used as part of the Drink, Drugs, Sex and Anger programme following the success of the STI masks for the Sexual Health programme. It is a performance and education programme for 12 to 25 yrs, that explores and promotes understanding of addiction, personal safety and emotional literacy.

Drink, Drugs, Sex and Anger uses masked performance to interactively engage with difficult topics in a fun but challenging way. The masks bring the subject to life and enable the young people to talk more freely amongst their peers about the meaning and significance of the mask (as a metaphor). In doing this they are able to explore points of view different to their own. The masks allow this difficult material to be accessible to all ability levels, embracing active and emotional learning styles through physically and visual activities.

Please contact Tom Hogan at Aqueous Humour if you are interested in booking workshops.

Director: Andrew Walkington

Producer: Richard Caunt

DOP: Tania Freimuth

Costume Designer: Eve Salter Evans

“The Treasure of Albion” is a children’s adventure feature film where “The Da Vinci Code” meets “The Goonies”, Enid Blyton and “Byker Grove”. It was filmed over 4 weeks in the summer of 2006 mainly on location at various sites around the North West. The British Youth Theatre Project gives young film students the opportunity to take part in a professional production both as crew and performers. Each department was led by industry professionals including actors such as Todd Carty and Norman Lovett mentoring the acting students. I was Production Designer & Art Director, designing set & props. As it was mainly shot on location, everything had to match in with what was already there. This was especially essential with the various fake stone objects. I had a small team of students helping me create the set & props for the film. As well as scenic & prop making skills, they also learnt about set dressing & continuity. As well as the carved props, there were various banners, posters & signage. Most of the shoot was on location but I did create a fake air duct in the studio for them to crawl through as in all classic heist movies.

More information & photos can be found at http://britishyouthfilmacademy.com/our-films/treasure-of-albion.

Directed by Sue Caudle & Jenny Harris

Performed at The Lowry Studio

“Strange Capers” was devised by the group using Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” as a starting point. The design was developed from a drawing of Shakespeare by one of the members, Anna Ward. The original image can be seen on the cast t-shirts. As some of the cast are in wheel chairs or have sight problems, a smooth floor cloth with strong design to help judge positions was essential. They also needed a way of framing the projection screen so that it became part of the set. The hearts, coins & flowers reflect the themes of love & money. It all had to be easy to assemble and pack away to transport as the show toured several venues across the region.

DIY is a Learning Disability Theatre Company established in 1994 and based in Salford. They have created and toured numerous original shows. They also run conferences and events as well as leading workshops and projects in schools. To learn more about them or contact them visit their website: www.diytheatre.org.uk.

photos by Danny Williams

Can you guess which is which? Choose from HIV, AIDS, Herpes, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Public Lice, Gential Warts & Chlamydia.

I was asked to create a set of masks to represent a variety of sexually transmitted diseases. These were to initially be used for a drama project with young men in Middleton and then for use in sexual health workshops around the area. Director Tom Hogan often uses bouffant techniques within his work & wanted the masks to have a commedia feel to them giving each disease its own personality. Photos from the show can be seen in the Youth & Community section.

Follow the success of this project I made another set for Aqueous Humour. I also created a display board representing the bed from the show with panels which lift up to reveal information & photo of mask matching each disease. These can be used at events or for workshops. Please contact Tom at Aqueous Humour for more details.

I was commissioned by Groundwork to design & paint a mural on Miles Platting Library as part of a larger regeneration project in the area. My brief was to create something bright & happy to cheer people up & to do this through workshops with local children.

In the workshops we looked at a variety of different types of murals & made a big list of things that make people feel happy. They made collages & drawings which they developed into painted designs the following week. About 60 of the designs created were chosen for display in the library over the half term break. Voting slips were available so that local people & library users could pick their favourites. I developed the most popular into designs – one for the main wall & 3 pairs of panels under the windows. I then tried to add bits from as many of the paintings as possible. In total around 30-40 of the pictures have been included in some way. Hopefully the children involved can all spot their little bit & feel pride at seeing their work in public.

I drew up & painted the designs onto the library using professional waterproof scenic paints and then sealed them once finished with a glossy anti-graffiti treatment.

Designed by Dawn Allsopp

Large quantities of polystrene and idenden went into creating this landscape of slag heaps and pit props.

Designed by Judith Croft

Large quantities of idenden were used to create the different textures of wood, stone and brick. The trees were created from polystyrene and netting.

Designed by David Cockayne

David created a magical world of moving trees with cloudlike tops. Additional elements were also stylized to keep that fairytale feel.