Bringing creativity to St Helens libraries: a year worth celebrating

A brilliant piece of theatre. A first attempt at playwriting. A creative workshop that becomes a regular part of your week. A conversation that turns into a friendship.

Before we get too far into this year's programme, we'd like to take a moment to celebrate the achievements of the last. Our 2025/26 evaluation brings together the voices of audiences, participants, artists and teachers, showcasing the difference Arts in Libraries is making and the creative opportunities it continues to provide across St Helens Libraires.

Between April 2025 and March 2026, we delivered 200 activities across 435 sessions, generating 14,030 engagements. Behind those figures are real everyday opportunities to experience quality arts, learn something new,  and get creative right on St Helens doorstop in friendly and supportive space.

Read the summary report here -  Arts In Libraries 25/26 Summary Evaluation Report (PDF, 220 KB)

Quality arts on your doorstep

The programme brought together theatre, exhibitions, live performance, literature and hands-on creative opportunities in libraries and other familiar local spaces.

There were plenty of highlights throughout the year. Our partnership with Unity Theatre brought The Signalman to Thatto Heath Library, and the performance sold out. Feedback described the evening as "fantastic", with audiences telling us how much they enjoy seeing theatre in libraries. There's something special about experiencing live performance surrounded by bookshelves; it's an intimate atmosphere that's difficult to replicate anywhere else.

Over the February half-term, StoryFest, delivered with Wonder Arts, kept children (and quite a few adults!) entertained with performances, workshops and creative activities. With British Sign Language interpreted shows and pocket-friendly ticket prices, StoryFest helped make theatre and creativity accessible to more families, giving children the chance to laugh, have fun and experience live performance they might not otherwise have had the opportunity to see.

The wider programme also featured Good Grief by Ugly Bucket, delivered in partnership with Heart of Glass bringing powerful and thought-provoking theatre to local audiences.

Meanwhile, our grassroots On the Mic nights continue to go from strength to strength. What started as a simple opportunity for local singers, storytellers, songwriters and poets to share their work has grown into a supportive creative community with a loyal following. Whether people are stepping up to a microphone for the very first time or testing out new material, they're met with encouragement, enthusiasm and plenty of friendly faces. At a time when many emerging artists face financial barriers and limited opportunities to perform, it's been wonderful to see this free platform develop into a space where local talent can flourish and where audiences come not just for the performances, but for the sense of belonging that's grown around them. If you fancy getting on out stage - signup Here 

Visual arts encouraged us to see St Helens in new ways. Our artist commissions culminated in the Arts in Libraries x Independents Biennial exhibition at The World of Glass, bringing together six original commissions that explored local stories, identities and places through a range of creative approaches.

The exhibition was more than a showcase; it created lasting opportunities for artists to develop their practice and reach new audiences. Artists such as João Coelho have gone on to share their work more widely through market events, workshops and the wider Biennial programme across Merseyside. In doing so, they have helped raise the profile of St Helens' creative talent while demonstrating the strength of the borough's growing arts scene.

Another highlight was Backstreets and Bright Walls, which brought together photographers from St Helens and Stuttgart in celebration of more than 75 years of cultural connection between the two towns. The exhibition invited visitors to slow down, look a little closer and discover beauty in unexpected places, revealing fresh perspectives on streets, buildings and everyday scenes that many of us might otherwise pass by without a second glance. It was a reminder that sometimes the most interesting stories can be found right on our own doorstep.

And yes, there was the second St Helens Great Potato Festival. Local growers, creatives and voluntary sector groups came together to celebrate the humble spud through art, performance and food. Among them were the much-loved Mucky Mountain Morris Dancers. If you've seen them share a stage with Stealing Sheep, you'll know just how much energy they bring.

The appetite for more is clearly there: tickets for this year's festival sold out within two days of going on sale.

A programme shaped by people

Community participation is central to Arts in Libraries. Alongside opportunities to watch and enjoy, we make space for people to contribute ideas, build skills and help shape what happens.

Our Community Activators continued to take part in programme planning, development sessions and research visits. Meanwhile, our Borough of Writers workshops, led by Kevin Dyer, became established across the libraries, giving people space to write, experiment and connect.

Some writers tried playwriting for the first time, developed work collaboratively and saw it performed by local actors. After the performance, members of the group chose to keep meeting independently. That's the kind of impact that continues beyond a single event: growing confidence, creative friendships and the motivation to keep going.

Audiences came from all 18 St Helens wards. Bringing creative opportunities into familiar local spaces helps show that art and creativity are for everyone, everywhere in St Helens.

Creative opportunities for artists.

Across the year, 166 artists and creative practitioners were involved, nearly half emerging or pre-career. Artists described opportunities to experiment, develop their practice, reach new audiences and build connections.

Working with Artists-Led St Helens, we supported a programme of events linked to the forthcoming Arts Equipment Library. Workshops exploring skills such as drone use and podcasting helped artists discover new tools and possibilities for their practice.

Claire Weetman and Gee Collins from Artist-Led offered aspiring artists a friendly space to join in, ask questions and receive one-to-one advice. The programme also supported Tobias Ferguson's development as a curator through SHIFT, an immersive group exhibition exploring how design and atmosphere shape an exhibition experience.

These opportunities help people build the skills, confidence and connections to take their next creative steps.

Creativity in the classroom

We also took arts into schools through poetry workshops, Arts Award activities and writing workshops linked to Shakespeare Week.

Schools activity generated more than 1,700 pupil engagements, with at least 16 schools and colleges involved. Teachers who provided feedback described benefits for confidence, creativity, literacy, self-expression and enthusiasm for learning.

Quality matters throughout the programme. 99% of audience and participant respondents rated their experience good, very good or excellent. Their feedback described experiences that were welcoming, enjoyable, inspiring and inclusive, with opportunities to learn and feel part of a community.

Thank you for making it happen

Arts in Libraries is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, funded by Arts Council England and St Helens Borough Council. Thank you for supporting quality arts, community participation and creative opportunities across the borough.

Thank you, too, to our audiences, participants, Community Activators, artists, library colleagues, schools and partners. Your ideas, enthusiasm and involvement make this programme what it is.

A year worth celebrating. Creativity worth carrying forward.

Want to be part of what comes next? Explore events, workshops and ways to get involved at artsinlibraries.sthelens.gov.uk.

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