Free afternoon at The Core on Friday 23 October, 1pm to 4pm. Teachers and youth workers meet arts organisations, with CPD tasters, tea, cake and a prize draw.
Teachers, youth workers and anyone else who runs activities for children in Solihull can spend a free afternoon at The Core next month meeting the arts organisations that would come and work with them.
The Solihull CEP Tea Party runs on Friday 23 October from 1pm to 4pm in the Courtyard Gallery at The Core, in Solihull town centre, B91 3RG. It is free, and it is the fourth year it has been held. Booking in advance is required, through Eventbrite, and the listing closes bookings at 1pm on the day itself.
Solihull Cultural Education Partnership, which organises it, describes the format as an informal arts marketplace: stalls staffed by the people who actually deliver the workshops, rather than a conference with a platform. Visitors can come for the full three hours or drop in for part of it.
Who is coming
The partnership says this year’s line-up brings together large West Midlands cultural organisations and small Solihull outfits at the same tables. Named in its release are Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Open Media (BOM), Motionhouse and Loudmouth Education and Training, alongside Solihull-based Giraffe Dance, Music Monsters, Drama Tots and RobocodeUK, plus independent artists and creative practitioners across a range of artforms.
Katie Holtom, development coordinator for Solihull CEP, said the point of the afternoon is to remove the legwork.
“There are so many brilliant creative opportunities available to children and young people across Solihull and the wider region, but we know it can be difficult for busy teachers and youth workers to know what’s out there or who to speak to.
“The Tea Party is about bringing everyone together in one place and making those connections really easy. Whether you’re looking for a one-off workshop, a longer-term creative project, something to support the curriculum or simply want some inspiration, you can come along, meet the people delivering the work and find out what could be possible for your young people.
“We’re really excited by the range of organisations joining us this year, from some of the region’s biggest cultural organisations to brilliant independent creatives working right here in Solihull, and it’s completely free to attend.”
What happens across the three hours
Alongside the stalls there is a programme of free CPD, talks and creative taster sessions running through the afternoon, so the visit can count as professional development rather than only a browse.
There is also a prize draw for free creative workshops and experiences, to be delivered at the winner’s school or organisation. The partnership says the prizes already committed cover dance, circus, creative technology, robotics, 3D printing, graffiti, visual arts, poetry, storytelling and music.
The organisers’ own listing for the event adds a few things the press release leaves out: offers and discounts available to Tea Party attendees only, focused discussion groups on the day, and free tea and cake. (Solihull CEP)
What previous years looked like
The photographs the partnership has released from previous Tea Parties show the format plainly: trestle tables, roll-up banners, sample materials to handle, and a lot of standing conversations.
A testimonial the partnership publishes on its own Tea Party page comes from Claire Doyle of Streetsbrook School in Solihull, who wrote after a previous year: “It was a fantastic opportunity to network, make links and find out about a range of other companies; I enjoyed the discussion groups too. A very well organised and purposeful afternoon.”
Running a creative organisation rather than attending
The event is two-sided, and the stall side is still open. Solihull CEP is asking creative organisations and individual practitioners who want to host a table and show what they offer to register separately, through the link on its Tea Party page. That is the route for a local dance teacher, drama group, maker or musician who wants to reach Solihull schools directly rather than one at a time.
What it means for you
If you teach in Solihull, run a Brownie pack, a youth club, a SEND group or a home education group, this is the afternoon where the region’s arts providers come to you in one room, and it costs nothing beyond the time. The practical catch is the booking: it is free but ticketed, and the Eventbrite listing stops taking bookings at 1pm on 23 October, which is the moment the doors open. Book before the day rather than deciding on the morning.
It is worth going with a question rather than a tote bag. The partnership’s pitch is that you can arrive wanting a single assembly workshop, a term-long project or something that props up a curriculum topic, and find the person who could deliver it. The prize draw is a real prospect of a free workshop for a school or group, and the discounts are described as attendee-only.
If your organisation is on the other side of the table, register the stall early. The partnership has not published a closing date for stall registrations, so the safe assumption is that it closes when the room is full.
Solihull CEP describes itself as a partnership of arts and cultural professionals, education providers and creative advocates working to get children and young people across the borough access to arts and cultural experiences. Its contact for the Tea Party is Katie Holtom, on solihullcep@gmail.com. (Solihull CEP)
More on what is coming up locally is in our guide to things to do in Solihull, and if you are driving in, the charges are in our parking in Solihull page.
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