 |
 |
 |
SUPPORT CIRCUS MANIACS!
Circus Maniacs is putting in a bid to Bristol City Council to run Robin Cousins Sports Centre as a centre for circus and local community use!
Circus Maniacs School of Circus Arts has been running for over 10 years now and is in real need of securing an new operational base. The hall/studio itself is inadequate for our developing operational needs on many levels, and it has no integral heating system.
We constantly have to turn down opportunities we are being offered, and cannot plan for the future; this is a source of constant frustration for us.
Against strong community opposition, Bristol City Council recently closed down both the Robin Cousins Sports Centre and the Swimming Baths in Shirehampton, due to the fact that they had become a budgetary burden to keep open.
The council have recently invested in new high quality sports facilities in Henbury, but the residents of Shirehampton and surrounding communities are now deprived of their community leisure facilities, a particularly poignant issue effecting the young people in this area who have very little to do.
Circus Maniacs wants to take over the running of the Robin Cousins Sports Centre offering an engaging community program that includes Circus, related sports, arts, education, youth & health education, international cultural inks. We also want to include activities for those with special needs, early years and also the local elderly population.
We want to continue to develop our work with other educational & community providers to maximize the facilities, projects and usage of the centre; creating a place for organizations to visit – as well as a base for us to operate outreach projects from.
We believe there is a very strong & politically popular case for Bristol City Council to engage pro-actively with us regarding our proposal to retain Robin Cousins Sports Centre as a public building for community benefit rather than selling off public land & facilities for “commercial re-development”.
Several departments within Bristol City Council have already expressed their support, and we have also been receiving very positive feedback from members of the local community.
'Business in the Community' are fully supporting the project, 'Stride Treglown' have just completed a Feasability Study, Lloyds TSB have a team working with us on a new business plan for the centre, and many other organisations wish to get on board supporting us once we can secure the building.
If Bristol City Council was able to commit to Circus Maniacs use of the building long term, we will be securing new high-quality recreational & leisure activities for the community that not available elsewhere, it would be seen as an effective ‘recycling’ of the building's use.
The timing is very good for us to access funding and sponsorship from several sources, to run projects and make improvements to the centre that will add value to the building as asset - so it has the potential to be a win, win situation on both sides.
Circus Maniacs is a really special organisation as it is the only place in the whole country that trains such a wide variety of circus skills for young people at all levels from age 3+, including the UK’s top international award-winning Youth Circus Performance Company.
We plan to run a fully comprehensive training program, for people of all ages, building upon our many years of experience.
We are also an active partner / initiator of 4 separate youth International exchange projects so if we secure this facility we will be able to fully capitalise on organising plenty of unique and exciting projects for local young people to get involved with.
Circus is increasing its popularity and profile as an activity that brings together the best aspects of Sport and the Arts. There are nearly 100 different Circus Skills we have identified on our curriculum so there is plenty of diversity of choice to involve everyone. Circus is a well respected activity in many other countries, in some it is nationally seen as an integral activity on the national curriculum!
From the council, local business and practitioners there seems to be a lot of support for our proposal, we hope we will obtain yours!!
We see this as a high-profile project, that will be very popular, be completely unique in the UK, and which will have huge benefits for the local community, Bristol & beyond.
Our DEADLINE is 30th May 2006.
PLEASE REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT HERE!
.. and do tell your friends or colleagues by clicking the link in red below!
Each signature we have is valuable and will add that bit extra weight to our petition.
We also would love to have your comments!!!
[Circus Maniacs will be giving some money to I-Petitions ourselves shortly, so please ignore the request for a donation].
MANY THANKS!
From the whole support team at Circus Maniacs. |
 |
|
(fields marked with * are required)
|
|
|
 |
Originally founded in 1995, Circus Maniacs is an independent circus training school currently operating as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
The school's Director is Jacqueline Welbourne, formerly the UK's top International award-winning aerial acrobat who won major prizes at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, also at the Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo; and performed her aerial act all around the world including starring with the world famous Cirque du Soleil.
The school's objects are:
* To promote, maintain, improve and advance education and health by the encouragement of the arts including, without limitation, the arts of circus, acrobatics, drama, mime, dance, singing, music, visual arts and multi-media.
* To advance the education of the public in the subject of circus arts.
* To support talented and gifted young people in the field of circus and performing arts by providing opportunities for their personal development and growth that they would otherwise not have access to.
* To increase the number of high quality opportunities for the continuing professional development of circus performers, teachers and technicians, and circus and performing arts companies.
* To reduce the number of people who feel excluded from society by increasing access to circus and the performing arts, with the object of improving their quality of life, aspirations, attainment.
* To work with community, national and international partners to improve cultural diversity and social inclusion, exchange knowledge and innovate ideas, in particular towards furthering the development of circus arts at all levels.
Circus Maniacs' Proposal for the Robin Cousins Sports Centre is to create and manage:
· A cutting-edge Community and Social Centre offering Circus, and related Sports, Theatre, Dance, Fitness, Cultural, Social & Educational facilities hugely benefiting not only the local Shirehampton & Avonmouth community, but also Bristol-wide.
· A National Centre of Excellence for Youth Circus, training from age 3 through to professional artistes; and supporting ‘gifted’ and ‘talented’ young circus performers across the UK to have access to developmental opportunities that they would otherwise have no access to.
· The UK Centre facilitating International Exchange of Youth Circus Pedagology & of Volunteers working in the field of Youth ‘Social’ Circus, (plus related Performing Arts & Sports), particularly targeting Youth Issues. [Circus Maniacs is the UK representative of a new International Network that receives European Funding and involves 15 countries to enable this].
· A Centre of Excellence for UK Professional Circus Development, facilitating exchanges our International Partners and adding to the culture of Bristol.
· A Space with facilities supporting the development of Bristol’s Performing Artistes & Companies, improving their ability to financially sustain themselves working within their chosen field.
Comment from Robin Cousins:
"I am delighted at the prospect that there is the possibility that this facility might be rescued in the manner suggested by Circus Maniacs and their partners and have been most impressed by their enthusiam and vision.
It is particularly important to me that the centre remains in some form supporting physical exercise/activity as well as creativity but also that it is still there as a positive presence in the community. I have no hesitation in adding my support and hopes for a successful outcome." |
|
|
The views expressed in this petition are solely those of the petition's
sponsor and do not in any way reflect the views of iPetitions.
iPetitions is solely a provider of technical services to the petition
sponsor and cannot be held liable for any damages or injury or other
harm arising from this petition. In the event no adequate sponsor is
named, iPetitions will consider the individual account holder with which
the petition was created as the lawful sponsor.
|
|
|
