People are invited to the launch of the new Southport Learning Town initiative, which will be followed by a Learning Town Festival.
The aim is to encourage people of all ages to enjoy the many learning opportunities available in our town.
The long-term ambition is to secure Southport’s status as a ‘UNESCO Learning City’.
The organisers of the event said: “The ambitious ife-long learning would be established as a community rationale and would send a signal that whatever age you are in the town, whatever your background or circumstances, you can start to learn, continue to learn and be supported to learn.”
The launch will take place on Friday 13th June 20025, while the Festival will be held at The Atkinson on Lord Street in Southport on Saturday 14th June 2025.
The Festival will include: Sing along with Octave Choir; Alchemy style fun with Dr Rick Tynan; a musical experience with Steve Cook; Drama workshop with Ignite Youth Theatre; Art Tagging with ArtUK; building tour; giant buddles, surprise magic; face painting and more.
The Southport Learning Town Management Committee said: “This initiative has arisen as a way of revitalising Southport as a community following the tragic events of last summer and the senseless riots that followed.
“A number of learning providers in the locality have co-operated and begun to work together to provide opportunities for local people to access learning more easily and be more readily supported in order to learn. In doing so, each would become ‘better’ as an individual and, as a consequence, the whole community would become ‘better’ too.
“Becoming a ‘learning town’ would ensure that everyone, across the entire age range, would be able to more readily embrace the extensive, and often excellent, opportunities for education and learning in the town and surrounding area.
“Life-long learning would be established as a community rationale and would send a signal that whatever age you are in the town, whatever your background or circumstances, you can start to learn, continue to learn and be supported to learn.
“One important thrust of Southport as a Learning Town would be to counter the misinformation too many people absorb through failing to distinguish between news and opinion or between facts and beliefs. To aid such a process, learning will need to be taken to where people are, rather than wait for them to come, and be provided in ways that make it both attractive and rewarding for them. In this way adults, the majority of whom do not take part in any regular type of informal learning, could become both engaged and inspired in increasing numbers. A first step to progress towards this goal has been to link all local providers, private or public alike, behind a single aim to make learning important, accessible and enjoyable for everyone and which stresses that everyone has something to contribute to support others.”
“Such a development will embrace providers of learning from pre-school settings to education providers in local schools, the local college and university provision. It would also draw in those adults who have left both informal and formal learning by drawing on later-life learning provision.
“Such an approach will be matched against the expectations outlined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for any city to be classified as a UNESCO Learning City under their successful initiative.
“An application in the future will help to rebadge and refresh the whole town and provide the reputation the community truly deserves.”
Launch (13th June 2025)
The launch will formally announce the organisation and provide an opportunity for the founding organisations to begin to inform and embrace other potential member organisations. Both they and the residents of Southport will be encouraged to participate. Initially, this may be by taking part in learning opportunities already available and, later on, by suggesting, creating and supporting new initiatives too.
At the Launch, the Learning Town website will go live alongside other social media strands to provide a new and comprehensive directory of learning opportunities and news of current and future learning events. Launch day will also see the support from Cambridge University whose generosity in offering a series of first-class workshops on a variety of topics will help to raise funds for the initiative.
Festival (14th June 2025)
An initial one-day ‘festival of learning’ will be held, which will act as a ‘window’ into the Learning Town and a ‘showcase’ of what is being provided for children, families, students and adults in Southport at the moment. Much good work is done every single day and this will be a way of bringing it to the notice of members of the community to encourage and enable them to participate themselves.
Providers will include early years and family support groups, primary and secondary schools, The Learning Rooms, Southport College, KGV Sixth Form College, Edge Hill University, The Arts Society, Southport u3a and Southport University Extension Society. Support has been offered by the two Members of Parliaments whose constituencies include Southport and by Southport’s active business community too.
In this way, the Festival will outline the rich smorgasbord of quality provision that is currently supporting and educating people of all ages to increase their knowledge, deepen their understanding, improve their skills and promote their interest in learning
By revealing the joy of learning and the benefits of learning, it is hoped that families – children, parents, grandparents – will grow to help each other to thrive by learning together. Such an approach will counter aspects such as bigotry and prejudice by improving knowledge and understanding of the world by those from different cultures.
Festival Locations and Timetable
Location: Studio. 1st Floor. The Atkinson
11am – 11:45am. Sing along with Octave Choir. All abilities welcome!
12pm – 12:45pm. Science meets magic. Alchemy style fun with Dr Rick Tynan.
1pm – 1:45m. Learn an original song. Join Steve Cook for a musical experience.
2pm – 2:45pm. Drama workshop. With Ignite Youth Theatre (ages 9-13 recommended).
Location: Theatre Bar. 1st Floor. The Atkinson
11am – 11:45am. Parents & Carers Session. Informative and supportive conversations.
12pm – 3pm. Art Tagging with ArtUK. Help describe local artworks to improve accessibility.
Location: Foyer. Ground Floor. The Atkinson
11am – 3pm. Surprise Magic. Roaming tricks from Dr. Rick Tynan.
11am – 3pm. Face Painting. Colourful fun for all ages.
Location: Outside The Atkinson
11am – 3pm. Building Tour. Discover The Atkinson’s fascinating façade with Jan, a local volunteer.
11am – 3pm. Giant Bubbles. Be amazed in the Town Hall Gardens.
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