Thank You to The Foyle Foundation for Supporting Spotlight

Thank You to The Foyle Foundation for Supporting Spotlight

We want to say a big thank you to The Foyle Foundation for believing in young people, creativity and circus.

We’re absolutely delighted to share that we’ve received funding from The Foyle Foundation to continue developing Spotlight, our youth circus performance troupe. This support means so much and allows us to build on what we’ve started, giving young people more opportunities to grow, learn and shine.

With this funding we’re bringing in professional artists, performers and people working across the creative industries to share their skills and experiences with our Spotlight group. They’re helping our young performers build their circus and aerial skills, explore their creativity and gain a better understanding of how to pursue a career in the arts.

This funding means Spotlight can train weekly and we’ve been supporting our young Spotlight volunteers as they teach and perform at local events. We also had the fantastic opportunity to take Spotlight to the Lowry to see Upswing, a visiting professional circus company. As part of that experience Upswing came to Skylight and ran a brilliant workshop for the group. Opportunities like this simply wouldn’t be possible without the support of The Foyle Foundation.

Looking ahead, we’re planning a full programme for late summer and autumn, with workshops, training, creative projects and performances.

A heartfelt thank you to The Foyle Foundation for believing in the next generation of circus artists. Your support is helping us nurture young talent and create meaningful pathways into the creative world.

Keep an eye out for what’s coming next, we’ve got lots in the pipeline and we can’t wait to share it with you

Upswing Workshop June 2025

Enhancing Our Performance Space at Skylight Circus Arts

Enhancing Our Performance Space at Skylight Circus Arts

We’re excited to share that we’ve received funding to further enhance our performance space and provide more creative opportunities for the Rochdale community.

Exciting Venue Upgrades

Thanks to funding from the Rochdale Visitor Attraction and Venue Improvement Scheme with Rochdale Development Agency, we have made some exciting upgrades to our venue at Skylight Circus Arts.

Investing in New Equipment 

This funding has enabled us to invest in much-needed specialist circus and performance equipment. Our new black stage mats and stage lighting will enhance our performances, creating a more immersive and professional experience for our audiences. Be the first to see it all in action at our upcoming show, Sky Fi, happening in mid-March!

Expert Training for Our Youth Circus

In addition to equipment upgrades, the funding has also allowed us to bring in Cath, a local creative professional with skills in aerial and circus to work with our Spotlight performance troupe and youth circus.

Working with new creative professionals not only gives our young people new circus skills but it also provides us with new and exciting ideas, inspiration and helps to develop their resilience and team work.

The training is focused in acrobalance and will further develop their skills, ready for our upcoming show, Sky-Fi.

photograph of three people, two younger boys and one women practising acrobalance. One boy is balancing on the women and the other boy is spotting him.

Sky-Fi

Date: Saturday 15th March 3pm & 7pm and Sunday 16th March 11am & 3pm

Location: Skylight Circus Arts, St Chads Fold, Sparrow Hill, Rochdale, OL16 1QT

Tickets: £5 per person (must book in advance)

Contact us for more information

Thank You

A huge thank you to Rochdale Visitor Attraction and Venue Improvement Scheme and Rochdale Development Agency to supporting us to further develop our training space and performance venue here in Rochdale. 

Support Skylight Circus Arts

We are working hard to continue to develop our venue, upgrade our equipment and create high-quality performances for Rochdale audiences.

If you’d like to help us and are able to, please consider donating or sharing our stories with your families, friends and networks. Your kindness and support makes a huge difference!

Contact us to find out more about our projects, join one of our classes and our wonderful Skylight community.