Jog on...

"The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out of your glass."
Martin Mull

I have been up on the field running - not jogging. Dogs. Don't. Jog! I run. Flat out. It was really muddy. I caught more frisbees than I missed and all that swimming has made aprecious' muscles better and she threw the frisbee miles! I mean total and absolute miles. She kept trying to trick me throwing them one way or another but I cannot be fooled with frisbees. She tries very hard but to really fool me I feel she would need to develop a bigger brain to go with her muscles... does swimming help with that? I love swimming and water in general... I wonder if she will take me with her? I would be happy to wear a swimming cap. And some goggles.

I had to get in the shower when I got back. I love showers. I may have inadvertently shook before I was supposed to and splattered mud everywhere. It was an accident.

aprecious is a bit busy today. Cleaning the bathroom.

Hello everyone - don't feel you have to read on but I'm just having a moment! Being bonkers busy this week and that state of affairs is set to continue so sorry for continued neglect. Today - at work - we are having a party to celebrate the end of an era. I know! The organisation has been a going concern for just about 40 years. Amazing what a bunch of parents can do - it started small and now we're one of only two National Portfolio Organisations in Pennine Lancashire.

This means we are supported by public funding via the Arts Council - about a 5th of our turnover comes from this source and we are very thankful for it. If you pay taxes - thank you. You are helping to keep an extraordinary organisation not just existing but growing and making a difference to young people.

The 40 year anniversary coincides with the end of our original theatre building (it would have fallen down soon!). It will be demolished and a new building will sit on its footprint. This will compliment our current new building, that was completed in 2005

Current new building

Our second new building has also been made possible through public money and we were awarded the grant after a bidding process - one of the many occasions when I have been overwhelmed with work, no doubt. Here is a picture of the building that will be demolished in April 2013. This building holds a whole load of history and people are coming from all over the country to celebrate its end.

The building we're knocking down (when it was white)

There are more momentous plans on the horizons. In September, when our second new building opens we will be changing our collective building name to Burnley Arts Centre, home of Burnley Youth Theatre. There are other exciting developments on the cards but I'll keep the lid on those...

We are a charity and we work exceptionally hard to raise resources through trusts and foundations and other grant-aid to maintain the work we do. We work with about 500 young people a week - through education, outreach and in-house activities. We receive high quality professional theatre for children and young people.

We are an inclusive organisation and we are passionate about ensuring that all young people - whoever they are and whatever their ability and background can access the work we do. We are totally committed to this. This is the reason why I am training to do a sponsored 10k swim in September (that's just shy of 400 lengths in a 25 metre pool, and might take me away from Blip - it's a lot of training!) and why six of my colleagues are running a sponsored 10k in June...

All of our work is supported by amazing volunteers - and one of the most amazing of them all is this lady Moira Preston who has been with the organisation since very nearly the beginning. She has been massively important to us - chair, finance director, all round good egg. So, as a mark of that esteem we plan to call our new building The Moira Preston Building... and it couldn't happen to a nicer woman.

Moira Preston, I salute you!

And now I'll just jog on... cheese pie to serve! :))