Getting creative ahead of North Birkenhead Celebration Event
- 21 hours ago
- 4 min read
On Saturday 11 July, families and residents in North Birkenhead are invited to attend a family-friendly day of free food, free activities and musical acts organised by Right to Succeed and Cradle to Career partners.
The ‘North Birkenhead Block Party’ has been funded through Cradle to Career and organised with programme partners including The Hive Youth Zone Wirral, Gautby Road Community Centre, St James Centre, Koala North West, Equilibrium and Positivitree.
There will be live music from local artists, community and school choirs, activities such as graffiti art, messy play, sports and games, a gaming bus, face painting, and a SEND friendly quiet zone, plus free pizza, snacks and soft drinks throughout the day.
Since 2021, Cradle to Career in North Birkenhead has brought together schools, family services, residents, community partners and local organisations to work together around a shared vision for the area.
The North Birkenhead Block Party is an opportunity to thank members of the community who have led the change that we’ve seen in North Birkenhead through Cradle to Career over the last six years.
Trying something new
In the build up to the North Birkenhead Block Party, we have been working with Cradle to Career partners to host a series of interactive workshops where local young people have tried out DJing and rapping, graffiti and nail art. The activities will also be available to try out at the Block Party.
DJ and rapping
The Hive Youth Zone Wirral have hosted DJ and rapping workshops at high schools and youth centres in the community, to bring young people together in a love of music.
The sessions gave them the chance to learn what it takes to become a DJ, try out specialist equipment, create their own playlist for the Block Party, play musical instruments and learn how to compose and perform their own song or rap.
“I liked meeting the rapper. He was teaching us freestyle raps. It was fun and interesting to learn. I’d like to do it again.”
“It was fun. We did singing and we got to experience what a DJ does. We did a girl rap. We learnt how to do the drums, play the piano and be the DJ. We saw a recording room. It would be fun if more girls were DJs. It would be fun for girls to try.”
Gel Nail Care
Young people who attend Gautby Road Community Centre attended a gel nail workshop at the North West Training Professional Centre based in Birkenhead.
In a highly interactive session, a class full of young people learnt about nail care basics and good nail health, courses, qualifications and routes into the beauty industry, demonstrations of manicure and gel nail techniques, gained insights into different equipment and products, and had the chance to practise some of the techniques they were taught.
“It was dead fun because we got to learn how to do nails. We saw a demonstration and then we got to do it ourselves. She taught us how to prep the nails, what steps to do and blend the colours. In the demonstration she used a nail file and we used a UV lamp. We used a nail template to try it out for ourselves. If someone asked me to do their nails I’d say ‘yea’ because I know how to do it.”
Graffiti workshop with Zap Graffiti
At Gautby Road Community Centre and The Hive Youth Zone, young people between the ages of 12 and 16 were taught how to create their own banner for the Block Party using graffiti art.
Liverpool-based Zap Graffiti led the session and taught everyone how to sketch, create 3D letters and different effects, blend colours and add finishing touches to the artwork. The banner will be on proud display at the Block Party.
“It’s very enjoyable. It’s got easier as I’ve gone along. I’d definitely want to do it again. I liked doing the 3D letters.”
“Its been a lot more fun than what I expected. The most fun part was designing the background, I thought it would be easy but it was tricky doing the letters. I like art and would want to do it again.”
“My favourite bit has been designing the text, I’ve found it easier than I thought it was going to be but it was hard doing the edges. The most fun part was colouring it all in.”
Looking to the future
Cradle to Career in North Birkenhead was initiated and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation in 2021, co-commissioned by Wirral Council, with additional funding from SHINE Trust and UBS Optimus Foundation, with Right to Succeed providing backbone support.
Since then, the community has co-designed and delivered the change they want, which includes:
Closing a 15-month reading age gap across all children and young people aged 8 to 16
90% fall in the number of children in care or on the edge of care
229 families supported through voluntary Family Connector roles
More than 200 activities delivered each quarter for families and children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
In 2023, funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and support from Mayor Steve Rotheram scaled Cradle to Career across communities in all boroughs of the Liverpool City Region.
As North Birkenhead’s Cradle to Career programme moves from the Delivery phase into the Resilient Communities phase, Right to Succeed will continue to work with residents, services, schools and partners to build a local and sustainable backbone system, ensuring that the Cradle to Career approach becomes business as usual and the community has ownership for the long term.
For more information on Cradle to Career, visit: https://www.righttosucceed.org.uk/cradle-to-career
