Today, I want to start with a very special quote that is engraved on my heart.
“Dream Way too big and forget not your purpose but live every day like your life is a circus.”
We’ve dreamed of this day for as long as we remember. There is no better day than today to share gratitude and thank every current and ex-staff members, parents, volunteers and supporters. This is our story, and it is the story of coming together to smash our impossible under the umbrella of circus, youth work and live performance.
CircusMASH alongside our partners All Saints Youth Project and All Saints Community Development Company have been awarded £3.1 million from YIF Youth capital funders to re-develop our space into a state of the art, cutting edge circus facility in Kings Heath Birmingham. One of a kind that will help to grow and widen the work we do with young people, develop and support circus arts nationally, with residency space for artists and companies, training space for community and professionals and an expansion of accessible circus activity for everyone.
Once upon a time time we dreamed way too big… Here is the beginning… the middle… and the end of an Era.
The Story…
Just over one year ago myself and Jill (Our sensational senior administrator) sat together with Brian from All Saints Youth Project, Andy (Director of All Saints Community Development Company, David (Vicar of All Saints Church) and Ben (Bid Writer from Living Consortium) to talk about a pot of capital funding that was available for youth provision YIF youth fund.
Ben wrote the application as we consulted with young people and our community over months. In June2023 (we’ve been dying to share the news for sooooo long). We were awarded the money and started to work with Ash at Sculpt Architectural Designers and now an amazing team that are putting the project into fruition.
Work starts in Spring 2024 and we will be continuing classes and all activity through the build right here at All Saints Centre. Watch this space! When our new building is ready we will welcome you with open arms like we did when we moved into All Saints almost 10 years ago.
Here in this picture is Rhian, our Digital Coordinator and coach who started with us 7 years ago as a student. Like us, she strongly believes in Dreams and Purpose. Always Remember… Dream way too big and forget not your purpose but live every day like your life is a circus.
Our final and most important thank you is to YIF. We hope you realise the extent of what you are enabling us to do. You have aligned three amazing community organisations and have given us the opportunity to work closer together and ensure we provide incredible youth services in a world where it is so desperately needed. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in us.
We’ll keep you updated on the process and document it from start to finish. Thank you everyone for making MASH what it is. It is only through our collective we find strength to achieve our impossible and by finding ours we hope we help everyone else find theirs. Ta-ra darlings! ♥️🎪🎉