April - June 2026
A Look Back at the Last Three Months
As we enter the Summer months we reflect on what’s been an exciting Spring for Wonder Arts which saw us present a wonderful series of events at Haigh Woodland Park, induct a new batch of young volunteers and create an inspirational piece of artwork with the sanctuary seeking community.
Wonderful Performances at Haigh Hall
Between April & June we presented three incredible performances at the beautiful venue, Haigh Woodland Park.
Now I am Become d/Deaf by Tit 4 Tat Circus
The Dinosaurs are Back! by Dommy B
Everywhere’s a Beach by Hikapee Theatre
Families who visited the popular destination were in for a treat which they described as “amazing”, “impressive”, “fantastic”, “inspiring” and of course “wonderful”
We’d love to say a huge thank you to all of the performers, our brilliant partners at Wigan Council and Haigh Woodland Park and of course to all of the families who joined us; It was so exciting to welcoming so many new faces to our world of joy, creativity, inspiration & wonder!
Young Wonders
Every Thursday evening, our Young Wonders pile in for another session. For a year now, this bunch have thrown themselves into our environmental project, and they have gone and made their own play completely from scratch.
It has been quite the journey - We’ve explored environmental themes, written a script, brought ideas to life with a filmed shadow theatre and animation sequence, and got stuck into full puppetry with artist Michelle Wren, where we literally turned rubbish into characters.
Right now though, we’ve entered the final stretch; lines have been learned, the play has been blocked, and every Thursday we run the thing start to finish. You can feel it all clicking into place, and watching the young people grow more confident every week is wonderful to see.
The show isn't even that far away now! Saturday the 4th July and the group cannot wait to share it. You can book your tickets here: https://www.wonderarts.co.uk/upcoming-events/a-world-once-wonderful
World of Dreams - The Sanctuary Project
The Sanctuary Project has been a real labour of love this quarter, made possible by funding from the National Lottery Community Fund. Working alongside artist Natasha Chapman, the goal was a beautiful one: to collaborate with our resettled community here in St Helens and create a piece of artwork at the launch of Refugee Week 2026.
Consulting with the resettled community across St Helens, we gathered ideas and shaped what the artwork might become. From there, we ran a consultation workshop at the World of Glass, where resettled families came along to get hands on and help steer the direction of our main piece, with the idea for World of Dreams being born.
On Saturday 23th June we partnered with Cafe Laziz and St Helens Minster to create the artwork at the World Street Eats Festival; a celebration of different cultures through food, music and art.
And what a day it turned out to be. It was absolutely exceptional, with families and young people streaming in to get involved with the artwork. At the heart of it was a large canvas printed with the stencil outline of a world map, which young people filled in together using different coloured tissue paper, a proper collaborative effort. Around the edge, an empty border was waiting for something special; mini canvases the young people had created themselves. Sitting at a table armed with acrylic pens, each young person drew something that gave them hope, made them happy, or captured a treasured memory, before placing their masterpiece into the border.
The finished artwork is a true collaboration, full of colour, hope and stories from across the world.
World of Dreams -
Young Volunteers
This quarter we welcomed some new recruits and delivered our very first, official Young Volunteer Induction. At our 6 monthly inductions allow the team to catch up, welcome new volunteers, take part in team building activities and get stuck into some super important training.
We covered loads of ground: safeguarding, manual handling, customer service, audience interaction and how we gather the all important evaluation via feedback forms. We also introduced them to our Young Volunteer Handbook, otherwise known as the Young Volunteer Bible, the trusty guide they now live by. A great little crew!
Choose our Charity
Don’t forget, Wonder Arts is a charity and we need your support, so 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…
A World Once Wonderful: a powerful, imaginative youth production blending performance, shadow theatre, and puppetry.
Wonder in the Street, St Helens: Coming to Church Square, St Helens on Saturday 22nd August
Wonder in the Street, Leigh: Coming to Civic Square, Leigh on Saturday 12th September
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