Celebrating a decade of iconic entertainment at Culture Warrington

CHARITABLE trust, Culture Warrington, is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this month and looking back on some of its most memorable moments.

This month marks 10 years of Culture Warrington and its impressive roster of star studded performances, exclusive shows, dynamic exhibitions, festivals, and events that will go down in history as key moments that put Warrington firmly on the entertainment map.

A decade ago, on 16 May 2012, the iconic Parr Hall and Pyramid Arts Centre joined forces with Warrington Museum and Art Gallery to form the charity, Culture Warrington, with the mission to ‘ignite and sustain people’s passion for culture and heritage.’

Incredible large-scale events

The team are proud to say this has been achieved with gusto, as Culture Warrington paved the way with a range of festivals including Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival, which presents an array of inclusive events and thought-provoking shows across the town’s venues each year.

The festival has been responsible for some of the most memorable largescale family events in recent memory such as Luke Jerram’s Gaia and Museum of the Moon as well as Light Night when Queens Gardens was vividly brought to life through lights, sounds and interactive experiences.

Venue of the year

Culture Warrington’s Parr Hall, built in 1895, was immortalised in the music hall of fame when the Stone Roses chose the venue to host their revered reunion gig in the same month that the charity formed in 2012. The event was the focus of acclaimed director Shane Meadows’ music biopic ‘Made in Stone.’ The venue was then shortlisted as ‘Venue of the Year’ at the highly-regarded Music Week industry awards.

Other key events include a memorial performance from The Kooks, The Zutons, The Courteeners and Blossoms as they paid tribute to Warrington band Viola Beach and their manager Craig Tarry following the tragic accident that claimed their lives in Sweden in 2016.

A decade after Culture Warrington formed, household names continue to grace Parr Hall’s stage, and in the past six months alone the venue has welcomed the likes of Sarah Millican, The Script, Scouting for Girls, Jimmy Carr, John Bishop, The Stranglers, Jason Manford, Katherine Ryan and Shed Seven.

Keeping history alive

The charming and quirky Warrington Museum and Art Gallery is one of the oldest museums in the country, and prides itself on bringing a diverse and challenging range of exhibitions to the town. The team welcomed acclaimed taxidermist Polly Morgan in 2014 whose global work has caught the attention of Damien Hurst, Banksy and Kate Moss.

Then in 2020 the museum celebrated a little known connection between Warrington and one of NASA’s most important missions. ESR Technology in Risley shared the fascinating story and exhibited some of the tech involved in preparing the Hubble Telescope for launch three decades ago.

Video to mark the milestone

A video celebrating a decade of culture, entertainment, and heritage in the heart of Warrington has also been released this week to mark the milestone in Culture Warrington’s history.

The video was produced in partnership with Warrington videography company Ludovico, which is headed up by award-winning actor Darren Jeffries.

Emma Hutchinson, Managing Director of Culture Warrington, said: “Working with Darren and Ludovico to create the anniversary video allowed a rare gift of an opportunity to look back over the past 10 years at the enormous and varied achievements by the team at Culture Warrington. It’s all thanks to the hard work of our dedicated teams of whom I couldn’t be more proud.

“Our achievements, to date, are just a taste of things to come, as we continue to prepare for the exciting £5million plans to redevelop Pyramid as part of Culture Recovery Fund. All I can say is – watch this space for our exciting plans for the future.”

Cllr Maureen Banner, Chair of Culture Warrington, added: “It’s been a pleasure to watch Culture Warrington grow over the years, and I’ve been so proud to be a part of the culture we’ve provided for the town which has really put Warrington firmly on the map.

“I always say that it’s all thanks to the team, and the last 10 years have certainly proven that working together can produce the most amazing achievements. I’m looking forward to our far-reaching future plans so we can continue doing what we do best – making memories for the town and its people.”

Culture Warrington’s 10^th anniversary in numbers

• 59 employees, of which 59% are Warrington residents
• 235 exhibitions at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery
• 450 new acquisitions at the museum since 2012
• 549 family craft activities at the museum attended by 47,033 people
• 2,525 performances at Pyramid and Parr Hall over 10 years
• 13,260 – the number of volunteer hours logged since 2012
• 28,500 enquiries answered about local and family history
• 33,307 – the number of children who have participated in workshops at Culture Warrington venues
• More than 100,000 documents of historical importance in our Archives service
• 587,338 visitors to the museum and gallery since 2012
• More than 2 million – the number of people who have participated in Culture Warrington activities over 10 years