The Turnpike
The Turnpike is an independent arts
organisation situated in the iconic 1970’s
brutalist building in the centre of Leigh.
Their purpose is to bring the very best art
to our Borough, creating high quality new
cultural opportunities for all and raising
aspiration across the community. Helen
Stalker leads an inspirational curatorial
programme, following on from her work at
Tate Liverpool and curator of Fine Art at
the Whitworth art gallery.
The Old Courts
The Old Courts is a not for profit centre
promoting the best in arts and culture
in the Wigan Borough. With two music
venues, a theatre, an art gallery,
Victorian Court Room, rehearsal rooms
and performance space. The Old Courts
attracts worldwide performers and artists,
as well as collaborating with renowned
institutions such as Battersea Arts Centre
and Central St Martins.
Wigan STEAM
Wigan STEAM provides learning
opportunities, enriching social spaces,
and collaborative working environments
to empower young people and adults with
creative digital knowledge to navigate
and innovate future worlds. They support
STEM learning, working to achieve a world-leading
education for all young people
in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics through art and culture.
Cross Street Arts
Cross Street Arts is a group of professional
artists based in Standish who aim to
provide access to studio spaces and
exhibition opportunities for artists. They
run a curatorial programme of group
exhibitions, open studio events, artists
talks and workshops. Resident artist
Anna FC Smith, recently showcased her
Suffragettes inspired work in New York.
Lancashire Mining Museum
Lancashire Mining Museum at Astley Green
Colliery hosts artists residencies exploring the unique site which houses Lancashire’s only surviving headgear and engine house, both of which now have scheduled monument and listed building status. Mary Griffiths’ year-long residency culminated in a critically acclaimed body of work which featured in her solo exhibition Wild Honey.
WigLe Dance
WigLe is a dance development organisation
that aims to inspire children and young
people to be happy, healthy and socially
engaged through dance. Their purpose
is to ensure the residents of Wigan and
Leigh have the opportunity to experience
dance at its best, through participation and
performance.
Pemberton Brass Band
Pemberton Brass Band has a long and
outstanding history that dates back to
the late 19th century. In recent years
their organisation has gone from strength
to strength. As well as having a First
Section band conducted by Ben Dixon,
they have a thriving, diverse B Band of
all ages currently well placed in the 2nd
section. They also have a Junior Band
where 30 youngsters are trained by John
Don-Duncan. An extensive, historic library
of Brass Band music is housed at their
rehearsal studios in Mount Zion Hall.
Wigan & Leigh College, School for the Arts
Wigan School of the Arts is a centre
of education excellence focused on
raising aspirations in Creative Arts
through innovative and outstanding
teaching and delivers a wide range of
courses up to degree level for careers
in Creative Direction & Design, Fine Art,
Fashion, Music, TV & Radio, Photography,
Broadcasting, Arts Education, Illustration,
Journalism and PR.
Museum of Wigan Life
The Museum of Wigan Life holds over
30,000 treasures relating to life in
Wigan Borough, past and present. Their
collections include fine art, Roman
archaeology, social history, natural history,
coins, decorative art and industrial history.
The Museum houses Sir John Scott’s
Egyptian collection, including the priceless
Royal gold death mask. The nineteenth century
listed building is by architect Alfred
Waterhouse. It originally housed Wigan
Library, where George Orwell researched
his book The Road to Wigan Pier in 1936.
Leigh Film Society
Leigh Film Society is a cultural organisation
which in 2018 won the Queen’s Award
for Voluntary Service. They provide
professionally delivered, quality film
screenings in venues around Wigan and
Leigh including dementia-friendly classic
cinema clubs, autism friendly screenings
and staging one-off events to support
a wide variety of good causes and local
campaigns. At the prestigious Film Society
of the Year 2017 they collected the Film
Discovery Award for the 2nd year running
and also won Best Film Programme. They
also received Commendations in the Best
Marketing & Publicity, Best Single Event
and the Community Award categories.
Wigan International Jazz Festival
Wigan International Jazz Festival was
formed in 1986 in response to the region’s
growing audience for jazz and big band
music created in part by the Wigan Youth
Jazz Orchestra. Featuring many of the
world’s iconic jazz artists, the event
quickly gained a reputation for being one
of the finest Jazz Festivals in Europe.
Artists such as Freddie Hubbard, Horace
Silver, Red Rodney Art Blakey, Diana Krall,
Michael Brecker, Paquito D’Rivera, Maynard
Ferguson, Phil Woods, Ray Brown, Bobby
Shew and many more attract capacity
audiences to make it a ‘must-attend’ event
on the European Jazz Festival circuit.
Leigh Hackspace
Leigh Hackspace is a membership-funded
creative workspace where people with
common interests can meet, socialize and
collaborate. Currently occupying a 4,500
sq ft converted cotton mill, they have a
fully-fitted darkroom, a woodworking area,
a textiles area, a well-equipped electronics
bench, 3D printers, Raspberry Pis and
laptops for members use.
Wigan Music Service
Wigan Music Service is an award-winning
Music Service that supports children and
young people to access a wide range
of music making opportunities both in
and outside of the classroom through
instrumental music tuition, curriculum
Support for Schools, Bands, Choirs,
Orchestras and Ensembles. A teaching
team of over 80 music specialists deliver
music in schools and colleges throughout
the borough.
Get It Loud In Libraries
Get It Loud in Libraries is a unique award-winning
project designed to give people
who love music, the chance to see top notch
artists in their local library. Since
2005, it has delivered high quality gigs in
libraries in towns and cities all over the UK,
featuring breakthrough and established
music acts such as Adele, Jessie J, Plan B,
Cate Le Bon, Clean Bandit, Juliette Lewis,
Meilyr Jones and many more.
ALRA
Academy of Live and Recorded Arts equips actors and theatre professionals
with skills fundamental to a productive
and creative life in the performance
industries. It is dedicated to helping
students of all backgrounds and ages to
enter the world of live and recorded arts.
It has a distinguished record of training
professionals prepared and ready to work
in collaboration with the industry.
Trencherfield Mill
Trencherfield Mill engine room is a
cathedral of the industrial revolution,
home to one of the largest and finest
fully operational steam engines. Built
over 100 years ago, this mammoth metal
powerhouse is highly regarded as a feat
of industrial engineering. Churning out a
massive 2,500 horse power to drive the
cotton making machinery of Trencherfield
Mill, it plays an instrumental role in
Wigan’s industrial heritage.
Wigan Pier
Wigan Arts Cultural Heritage Trust and
Step Places will collaborate to transform
the iconic cluster of buildings at Wigan
Pier into a cultural hub for community arts.
An alternative arts and cultural education
centre, a new conference room and a large
food and beverage events space with
micro-brewery will inspire a new generation
to make Wigan Pier a destination for all.
Royal Court Theatre
Wigan's Royal Court grade II-listed
theatre was built in 1886 and is currently
undergoing renovation as a destination for
touring theatre. Preserving the heritage
of the building, The Old Courts arts centre
team plan to restore the Royal Court to its
former glory, transforming the space into
a 1,500 capacity venue, making it fit for purpose
for contemporary audiences.
Wigan Youth Zone
Wigan Youth Zone is a state-of-the-art
youth facility in Wigan town centre. Inside
the art room, painting, drawing, model
making, animation, printmaking, sewing
and clay are open to all young people
across Wigan aged 8 to 21. With 15
dedicated areas to choose from including
a music room and recording studio Wigan
Youth Zone lights the fire within to develop
skills in music production, video editing,
radio broadcasting and playing and
performing in bands.
Wigan Little Theatre
Since its opening in 1948, Wigan Little
Theatre has been at the forefront of
Wigan’s entertainment scene. The amateur
dramatic company stages shows each
year including drama, comedy and musical
theatre. Sir Ian McKellen witnessed his
first Shakespeare performance in the 230
seater theatre as a child and was inspired
to become an actor. In 2019 he returns
to the stage where it all began for a solo
performance.
