Theatre Hullabaloo visitors going outside to play with new family facilities

A pioneering Darlington children’s theatre is improving new outdoor play opportunities for local families with the help of a four-figure grant from a regional employer. Theatre Hullabaloo is renovating an underused outside area at its Borough Road premises into a play space which will include new equipment and resources to encourage imaginative play.

Space to Imagine is a creative play area designed with children and families at its heart, and features cosy wooden dens, wooden blocks, natural resources and an outdoor nursery mud and water kitchen, with endless opportunities for imagination to grow.

The project is being funded through a £1,988 grant from the County Durham-headquartered Banks Group and complements the permanent indoor creative play space and the temporary play installations that Theatre Hullabaloo has been running in disadvantaged communities around the area for the last two years.

Theatre Hullabaloo, which is the only specialist children’s theatre outside London, was specifically created to be an inspiring place to play and learn for children and families, and welcomes around 25,000 visitors every year.

Alongside the different theatre shows that it hosts, it runs a range of themed community events and activities for children, many of which are free to help ensure the venue remains accessible to everyone.

Jacqui Nicholson, general manager at Theatre Hullabaloo, says: “The developmental benefits of creative play are widely recognised and we’re working to maximise the range of opportunities we provide for families to do this, both in the community and at the theatre.

“There’ll be lots of fantastic resources to inspire children’s play, with the space specifically designed to allow children to lead their parents in deciding how they’re going to play together.

“We do all we can to keep Theatre Hullabaloo as accessible as possible for everyone, with our outreach work we undertake being especially important in achieving that goal.

“Funding such as the generous grant we’ve received from the Banks Group for this project plays a crucial role in making this happen.

“It’s especially important to us to win the backing of North East businesses and organisations like Banks, as they can see the work that we do at first hand and are recognising the positive impact that it has on our communities through their support.”

Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “Theatre Hullabaloo holds a unique place in the North East’s cultural life and provides creative opportunities to thousands of local young children that might otherwise be out of reach.

“It’s an inspirational venue run by an amazing team, and as the only dedicated children’s theatre outside London, it’s somewhere of which the region can be hugely proud.

“Opening up this new outdoor play area will make it an even better place for families to visit and we’re proud to be helping bring this project to life.”

The Banks Group’s community funds are independently managed by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation).

Anyone from a community close to a Banks Group project who is interested in applying for funding from the Banks Community Fund should contact the company via its website enquiry form (www.banksgroup.co.uk/contact-us/) to find out if their group or project is eligible.