Local couple Brendan Riley and Val Brady have been Shortlisted in the 2024 Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards.
Judging has taken place ahead of the final, with an independent panel sending a total of 47 people and organisations through to the last round of the prestigious regional competition.
Brendan and Val run Big Comedy UK which is among three finalists competing for the Business in the Arts Award alongside Liverpool BID Company and Future Yard CIC.
They won the Sefton Business In The Community Awards in the 2023 Pride Of Sefton Awards earlier this year.
More than 600 nominations came in from across the six local authority areas of the Liverpool City Region and the judges, including experts in the field of arts, science and culture, had some difficult choices to make.
Jason Byrne (left) with Brendan Riley and Val Brady at Southport Comedy Festival 2022
The Business in the Arts Award celebrates businesses that make a significant contribution to economic growth within the arts, culture and creativity sector.
The winner will be a business that has through partnership working, sponsorship or other support, made a significant contribution to the successful sustainability and growth of arts in the Liverpool City Region.
This category is open to any businesses that have had a direct impact on the arts in the Liverpool City Region.
The finalists are: Big Comedy UK, Liverpool BID Company and Future Yard CIC.
Brendan and Val are the organisers of the annual Southport Comedy Festival, which brings some of the biggest names in comedy to the town every autumn.
They are also behind the regular Comedy Bingo Winter Socials, which take place at Southport Market in order to bring people together and tackle isolation in our local community.
Southport Comedy Festival 2023. Festival directors Brendan Riley (left) and Val Brady (right) with Tom Davis
They also organise and host the hugely successful Comedy Bingo and Disco Bingo nights.
Brendan and Val said: “We’re very honoured to have been shortlisted for the 2024 Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards!
“We are very grateful to everyone who has supported us; all the local businesses which sponsor our events and festivals and make them possible; all our volunteers and our team; and everyone who comes to enjoy our events.
“We love putting smiles on people’s faces!
“It’s a huge team effort to do what we do that makes it possible to make a positive difference in our local community.”
Thirteen years ago, due to funding cuts, Sefton Council took the difficult decision to axe the popular Southport Comedy Festival.
Val Brady and Brendan Riley of Big Comedy and Southport Comedy Festival win the Sefton Business In The Community Awardat the 2023 Pride Of Sefton Awards
Brendan and Val of Big Comedy stepped in to rescue the event – and have made it bigger and better in the years since then.
Their acts are a who’s who of the comedy world – Al Murray, Milton Jones, Simon Brodkin, Jason Byrne, Paul Sinha, Ed Byrne, Russell Kane, Jo Caulfield, Reginald D Hunter, Jen Brister – they bring the biggest acts in comedy to Southport but keep prices lower than elsewhere to make comedy affordable to local people.
The couple originally held the festival in venues across Southport, in theatres, restaurants, pubs, bars, cinemas, community spaces and more, bringing customers and business into dozens of local businesses.
They worked with Southport BID to stage Children’s Comedy Festival events which were free to local children.
The festival is now held in a giant heated, seated marquee in Victoria Park.
They work with a series of local businesses to make the event possible.
Their social values and support for local charities is immense. They have helped to raise tens of thousands of pounds for local charities. This November they held a Comedy Bingo Night for the Community Link Foundation charity and a Disco Bingo Night for the Southport Flower Show charity, raising thousands of pounds. Previous beneficiaries have included the likes of Queenscourt Hospice, Southport Lifeboat and many others.
The third Comedy Bingo Spring Social at Southport Market was a huge success, with another great turnout and lots of prizes being won! The event was sponsored by Halliwell Jones MINI Southport
They provide a vital platform for up and coming comedy talent with their Southport New Comedian Of The Year competition at the festival. This year they received over 100 entries, with eight performing in the final in front of an audience and a panel of judges. It’s invaluable experience and a real leg-up for the winners and finalists.
This year they have launched the massively popular Comedy Bingo Spring Socials at Southport Market – again working with local companies to make the events both possible. These Wednesday afternoon events are aimed at tackling social isolation with many people left isolated since the Covid pandemic, as they work with charities such as Age Concern, and sponsors including Halliwell Jones, to get people out of their homes and promote friendship and mental health and wellbeing. It costs just £3 each and includes a free drink, so practically free to attendees. It’s funded by sponsorship from local businesses and the Community Link Foundation.
During the Covid pandemic lockdowns, Brendan and Val launched online Comedy Bingo via Zoom, putting smiles on the faces of hundreds of isolated people during challenging times.
People enjoy a Comedy Bingo night raising funds for the Community Link Foundation charity at Southport Comedy Festival. Mark and Lyn Cunningham dfrom Anthony James Estate Agents with Brendan Riley and Val Brady from Southport Comedy Festival
They also stage regular comedy events across the Liverpool City Region and many fundraising events for a wide variety of charities and good causes.
Their themed bingo nights are a huge success – themes include 80s, Abba. and even Country and Western!
The Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony at St Helens Rugby League Stadium (Langtree Park) on Thursday 7 March 2024, the area being this year’s Borough of Culture.
There are 15 awards up for grabs including Artist / Creative of the Year, Community Cohesion and Inspirational Young Person as well as two new awards considering Innovation in the fields of technology, business and science where creativity has been key.
Cllr Mike Wharton, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Business said:
“These awards give us a chance to showcase what our area has to offer. I’m delighted we’re continuing to see so many nominations from across the city region and from such a variety of businesses, organisations and individuals.
“Well done to all the finalists. I look forward to the next stage of the competition!”
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