Inspiring imaginations and winning awards in 2024-25
Winter Lights - celebrating joy and community
“It makes you feel great. Today is such a good presentation of UK diversity – everyone joining in as one community. ”
On Sunday 26 January over 700 local children, young people and their families enjoyed Winter Lights – our community event in Barton Hill celebrating joy, light, creativity and the warmth of community.
The day featured theatre performances by our Youth Theatre, storytelling, craft activities, a room of joy, a room of play, and a lantern parade that lit up the Urban Park in Barton Hill.
People that came to the event were mostly from the local area and overwhelmingly said how the event brought the community together for something joyful during a difficult time. They valued the free and inclusive activities for local families and 88% of audiences our evaluator spoke to said they didn’t normally access arts or culture or only did so through Travelling Light’s activities.
The event was co-created with children and partners in the local community. In the lead up to the event over 400 local children and community members took part in co-creation activities and lantern making workshops.
“It's the best. You see your kids enjoying themselves and there is nothing better than that, feeling part of the community is important and being with friends is good.” Audience member
Holiday and family activities in our local area
“It was really amazing, kids love everything in each session. Thanks a lot to St Luke’s and Travelling Light for the effort they did. My kids loved it.”
In 2024-25, 262 people from our local area (including some repeat attendees) took part in our local community programme. We offer free creative holiday activities in Barton Hill alongside healthy meals for families eligible for free school meals, in partnership with food charity St Luke's Lunch. Activities include storytelling, craft, drama games, trips and picnics.
From April 2024 - March 2025, we ran 15 holiday workshops in collaboration with St Luke’s Lunch at Easter, May half term and during summer holidays, October and February half terms.
Feedback from families recognises the sessions as inclusive spaces where families and children feel safe and welcomed. Evaluation during the summer showed that 90% of children felt they were more creative, 91% increased their confidence, 90% had eaten better and the meal had helped financially.
"My child enjoyed the holiday club, plus I got to have a break knowing he was being cared for." Parent
Youth Theatre sessions and sharings
87 children and young people took part in our regular Youth Theatre groups across 117 sessions. Our groups provide a safe space for young people to develop their confidence, creativity and wellbeing. In 2024-25 we ran groups for children and young people aged 6-16 and Louder Than Words, our free group for Disabled children and those with additional needs.
“I like how all of our ideas are valued and listened to.””
We offer an accessible space for young people to explore their creativity outside school, ensuring access through community partners, bursaries and free places. In 2024-25, 51% of children received bursaries to attend.
“Mum, I love Travelling Light so much.” (I asked him why and he said) “when I have had a bad day at school, I come to Travelling Light and I feel happy again.” Louder Than Words member
From Easter 2024, all our Youth Theatre groups began work on Where the Acorns Grow – a new theatre show for our Winter Lights community event. The participants devised the show, sharing their ideas and working with a professional writer to create a story structure.
Working together with our team of facilitators and a professional director, writer and designer, the participants not only created a performance, but also developed their creativity, confidence and friendships.
“It was marvellous to see so many different groups and ages interacting beautifully.” “It was very inclusive, I noticed how special the actors felt.” Audience members at Where the Acorns Grow
Creating new work with children & young people
“My fave thing has been the creativity.”
We are very excited to be developing two new shows – one for touring to primary schools and one for early years settings. We’ve been busy in research and development over the last few months, collaborating with artists, children and young people in our community.
In February, 9 young people from our youth theatre and holiday activities and 7 artists spent 3 days in our studio. Using the themes of Where the Acorns Grow as a starting point (our Youth Theatre show from Winter Lights) – we asked the young people what they would like to explore further. We played, improvised and discussed how we might create a new offer for primary schools that felt innovative, exciting and based on what the young people wanted.
Local children who took part said they enjoyed being in a room with adult artists, having their ideas valued and being treated as artists in their own right.
“I liked that it was all magical.” Child feedback
Creative Learning in Schools and Early Years
“It was inspirational not only for the children, but also the staff. It supported their confidence in allowing themselves to be playful and imaginative.”
1,068 children and young people enjoyed drama and creative play in their schools and early years settings, with 89 creative sessions supporting their self-expression, confidence and learning.
Our creative learning programme supports the cultural entitlement of hundreds of children through one-off bespoke workshops, as well as our regular Arts Days and Play in a Week activities with partner schools, which engage whole year groups in drama activities.
We also delivered Little Lights, a pilot project which explored creative play and storytelling with two early years settings, leading to our Light Up Language project.
"The focus was always on the process, on the journey rather than the destination and this allowed for some great moments of connection as well as lots of laughter and fun." Jet Davis, Head at Little Hayes Nursery
Read our story - celebrating a year of creative play with early years settings in Bristol
Light Up Language
In January 2025 we began creative sessions in 3 local nurseries and 2 primary schools, exploring how drama techniques can be used to improve children’s speaking and listening skills.
In 2024-25, 129 children took part in 43 drama and creative play sessions as part of our 3-year Paul Hamlyn Foundation funded project.
Feedback from nursery staff is that the sessions have brought lots of joy, fun and creativity. Children have been repeating creative activities that they have taken part in during the sessions in their play throughout the week, becoming more confident with their language and self-expression.
Best Family Arts Activity - Award Winner
“So wonderful, simple and inclusive.”
In autumn 2024 we won a national award for our tour of Igloo - our non-verbal, early years show for ages 0-3 and their carers.
Igloo won the Best Family Arts Activity Award in the Fantastic for Families Awards, organised by the Family Arts Campaign. The national awards celebrate organisations who have made an outstanding contribution to family and age friendly arts and culture.
We toured Igloo to community venues and early years settings in Bristol and the South West in January-February 2024, responding to a direct need from early years settings and families.
“Amazing. Best play activity I’ve ever been to. Really communal, safe, inclusive and fun!”Audience feedback
Audience Impact and Innovation Award - Shortlisting
Our creative holiday activities and meals programme was also shortlisted for a Fantastic for Families Award in the ‘Audience Impact and Innovation’ category. This recognises the achievements of creative organisations who have demonstrated innovation and adaptability to reach and make a difference to families in need.
High Sheriff's Award for services to the community
On the same day as winning the Fantastic for Families Award, we were presented with a High Sheriff’s Award for our work with our local community.
Summer School for Disabled young people
In August 2024, 7 young people explored drama, music, storytelling and art during our youth theatre summer school for Disabled young people in partnership with WECIL – West of England Centre for Inclusive Living.
Over the course of four days, one per week, the young people created their own story. It celebrated the resilience, strength, imagination and creativity that is within all of us.
The summer school ended with a performance for family and friends in our studio.
"Whenever I have worked with Travelling Light, it’s a joy. The children always leave smiling. They don’t get bored. There is a difference I see in them when they are at Travelling Light. Travelling Light understand young people." WECIL staff member
Thank you
To all our funders and supporters in 2024-25.
Travelling Light Friends and campaign donors, Arts Council England, Backstage Trust, BBC Children in Need, Bristol City Council, Bristol Family Arts Network, Burges Salmon Charitable Trust, Charcoalblue, The Coutts Foundation, The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, The Denman Charitable Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, The High Sheriff of Bristol and the annual BYCA appeal, Holiday Activity Fund, John James Bristol Foundation, The Joyce Fletcher Charitable Trust, The Morel Trust, The Nisbet Trust, Patricia Routledge Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Postcode Local Trust - Thanks to Players of Postcode Lottery, Quartet Community Foundation, Thresholds Ltd, Vanguard Self Storage, Yellow Wood Foundation.
To find out more about supporting our work, visit our donate page or contact our CEO Dienka Hines to discuss corporate support.
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