Children’s Theatre Company Nominated for National Awards

Travelling Light, a children’s theatre company situated in Barton Hill, Bristol, has been nominated for two national awards. The company’s initiatives, developed to address specific needs within the local community, led to its shortlisting in two categories at the Fantastic for Families Awards. Its production, “Igloo,” along with complimentary creative holiday activities and meals, resulted in the company’s selection for the Best Family Arts Activity and Audience Impact and Innovation categories. The announcement of the winners is scheduled for a virtual ceremony on 28 November. Following performances at Bristol Old Vic in 2018 and a national tour in 2020, the company undertook an additional tour of “Igloo,” reaching over 1,200 children and their caregivers at various centers and community locations. These performances were conducted at the behest of nurseries and children’s centers, aiming to provide access to theatre for parents and children typically unable to attend due to financial or travel limitations. The performance was complemented by a play session, a picture book, and activities designed to foster imagination at home. In addition to the theatrical presentation, the company supplied healthy meals to local children during school holiday periods, a service made possible through a collaboration with the local food charity, St Luke’s Lunch. A parent of a two-and-a-half-year-old child commented: “The play and the book have really helped my daughter with her emotions. “Since then, she has been able to say ‘Mummy I am very frustrated’ or ‘I am very sad’. “She never used to talk about how she was feeling before.” Another parent, attending with their seven-year-old son, stated: “We live in a high-rise block of flats and don’t have a garden. “If St Luke’s and Travelling Light weren’t running this holiday club, he wouldn’t have space to run and play. “He gets to be a child, he has freedom to be himself, it’s what every child needs,” they added.