January - March 2026
A Look Back at the Last Three Months
What a wonderful start to the year we’ve had at Wonder Arts
Filled with performances across Wigan & St Helens, Whole School Storytelling Days, and plenty of workshops, the last 3 months have been incredible.
Now the weather is brightening and warming up, we can’t wait to see what we get up to over the coming months.
Incredible Performances
As we continue to share the wonder beyond St Helens, we’re delighted that our programme into Wigan is being so well received by families & partners:
February saw the return of St Helens StoryFest; our annual festival for families, delivered in partnership with St Helens Arts in Libraries.
We headed to Wigan to present not 1, not 2, but 3 brilliant shows in Leigh Library, Tyldesley Library and The Engine Room, Wigan.
Young Wonders
This term, our Young Wonders have continued worl on their newly devised play; ‘A World Once Wonderful’, with a particular focus on the puppetry section.
We were delighted to welcome artist Michelle Wren back into the room to help bring the puppets to life.
Working in singles, pairs and small groups, our young people have been crafting characters from the most unexpected materials, suitcases, foosball tables and old marketing posters have all been given a second life on stage.
We've also been thrilled to welcome some new faces into the group along the way.
How to Look After a Grieving Elephant (and other social animals)
The Grief Helpline for Social Animals was exhibited in Bolton Libraries.
Created by artists Jennifer Gaskell with children from Willowbrook Hospice, this gorgeous audio artwork has been touring libraries since it was launched in December 2024.
This project was delivered in partnership with Wonder Arts, Heart of Glass, Child Bereavement UK & Willowbrook Hospice.
Young Volunteers
Over six days in libraries across the St Helens borough, five Young Volunteers, Seth, Rhys, Felicity, Niamh and Jim helped turn StoryFest 2026 into a week of magic. From welcoming families at the door to supporting get-ins, turnarounds and last-minute changes, they were at the heart of every show, from The Quest for Planet P and Make Some Noise to Brave Bettie and The Wizard and the Mechanic. Each new day meant a new library, a new audience and a new set of challenges, and by Saturday's final show the team had picked up real festival-team experience in communication, teamwork and front-of-house care the kind of skills that will stand to them on CVs, in college and in whatever creative opportunities come next. You can read the full write-up on our StoryFest blog.
Young Volunteer Spotlight
This quarter's spotlight goes to Rhys, one of our newest Young Volunteer recruits.
Rhys first joined us during our Christmas shows, where his enthusiasm and can-do attitude stood out straight away.
He came back to volunteer with us again at StoryFest and was an absolutely brilliant addition to the team ,welcoming families into the library, handling queries with a smile, and being a calm, friendly presence throughout the week.
We're so pleased to have Rhys with us and can't wait to see what he gets stuck into next
Choose our Charity
We’re very happy to announce the launch of our new fundraising campaign.
Join the Choose Our Charity campaign now and help Wonder Arts change lives…
One person at a time | One performance at a time | One community at a time | One pound at a time.
At Wonder Arts, we create wonderful and inspiring arts experiences for children, young people, and families - we transform lives and communities – but as a registered charity, we can only do this with your support.
Every pound and penny donated helps us deliver wondrous experiences for 50,000 children and young people across the North West every year, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with disabilities or mental health needs.
There are so many ways you can support our campaign. Whether you’re an individual or a business, we would love you to Choose Our Charity and start to make a difference in your community.
Find out how you can support here
Coming Soon…
Wonder in Wigan: We’re super excited to be presenting a series of events at Haigh Woodland Park throughout April & May
Wonder in the Street: Returning on 13th June - a day of outdoor performances for families…all absolutely free and all absolutely wonderful
Communities of Wonder: Working with artist Natasha Chapman, families and young people from resettled communities will be co-creating a piece of artwork.
A World Once Wonderful: a powerful, imaginative youth production blending performance, shadow theatre, and puppetry.
Thank you for being Wonderful
We’d like to thank everyone who has taken part, partnered with us, or supported our work over the last few months.
We look forward to seeing you soon
The Wonder Arts Team