Circus Starr

Circus Starr is committed to providing accessible and inclusive circus and theatre events free of charge to children and families who have a barrier to accessing conventional arts events.Visiting 74 different towns in England, Scotland, and Wales, our audience is made up of those with many complex issues, which include children with profound and multiple disabilities and children on the autistic spectrum, visually impaired children, hearing impaired children, young carers, children with life limiting illnesses, and children from underprivileged or vulnerable backgrounds.  The communities we visit include those with a low number of cultural organisations and limited opportunities for cultural engagement, especially for our eclectic audience who see our inclusive shows for free.

Our events are designed to challenge the social isolation that can often be felt by those who suffer from physical, social, or financial constraints by creating a unique, fun, and welcoming environment where communities come together at a shared event. We offer BSL signed performances at all 148 performances, touch tours, freesensory packs with sensory story and props for those who need some help to prepare, and we are even more accessible thanks to our mobile changing places toilet – RevoLOOtion. Our shows are free to our audience thanks to the generous support of the local business community and grant making foundations in the towns that we visit. We try our hardest to make our events as accessible, both physically and sensorily, as possible because we believe that sharing quality time as a family is key to forming stronger bonds, connecting with the community around you, and creating positive memories to take through life. Wehope to help and encourage isolated families to be brave and try new things and connect with others who have shared life experiences.

 Why do we do what we do?

 According to Government statistics, there are 4.3 million children living in poverty in the UK. After nearly four decades of providing accessible performances, we have seen how big a gap there is between the general public and marginalized groups in terms of access to and affordability of enjoying live performances. A study by University College London found that “the benefits of community cultural engagement are greater in the most deprived decile than its most affluent”, and, as stated by the Arts Council England, “Involvement with arts and culture is crucial to imagination, self-expression, and creativity in young people.” We have learned how essential exposure to the arts is for developing a child’s imagination, creating positive family memories, and breaking down barriers within communities. We know how important it is to our audience to be treated like everyone else, and to be able to enjoy performance in the same way as others do.

 As an organisation, we aim to provide high quality circus events that appeal to a marginalised section of society who often miss out on performance or social interaction. In terms of the sustainability of our events we have packed away the Big Top for now because of the huge logistical cost increases of touring with a big top post Brexit and Covid-19. Instead, we are concentrating on developing our theatre shows and as a result of our three 2024 indoor tours we have reversed a two year deficit in our 2022/2023 accounts to a small profit in our 2024 draft accounts. In addition, we are soon to become a registered charity. This willopen grants & trusts funding streams that have previously been unavailable to us as a CIC. Charity status will also help us develop partnerships withlarger businesses and give us credibility with small to medium businesses too.Gift aid will also generate income for us, and donating is now available through our website, which helps widen our donating options.

How you can help.

As an organisation we are reliant on the generosity of the local business community in the towns that we visit and grant making foundations such as the MAB Foundation. Like everybody else we are always in need of extra funding in addition to the funding needed for our shows. To support our tours, ticketing and accounts administration, we are looking for funding to help us replace and future proof old IT equipment which is now no longer fit for purpose or compatible due to the changes Microsoft are making to their new software, Windows 11.  

We need to replace our old server which is now out of warranty with Microsoft Modern Workplace. To be compatible with that, we also need to replace our old IT hardware with new PC's and laptops, so that we have a future proof system in place to support our working practices. Having the right IT equipment and software is crucial to our accounts department who need to create over 18,000 invoices annually for our funders, for our administration system and organisational database for our ticketing process, and also crucial for our in-house marketing, social media, and event administration needs. This very necessary behind the scenes equipmentis invaluable to creating and administrating our unique performances which brings so much joy and magic to so many vulnerable children and families across the UK.

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