Creative Kids

Thanks to PACE Youth Theatre and Diane Mitchell Music School, there’s an array of classes and workshops to keep kids occupied, improve their confidence and help expand their friendship circle!

PACE Youth Theatre – Fest!

Every summer, PACE Youth Theatre offers a programme of unique and varied in-person creative performance experiences for ages 3-21.

Fest! is brimming with exciting performance courses; from classic to contemporary texts, devising, physical theatre, comedy and musicals.

Every year more than 800 individual young people take part in 90+ holiday courses, where they make friends, take risks, learn new skills and make memories to last a lifetime.

Fest! events will run from PACE’s base in the town centre, West College Scotland’s Centre for Performing arts on Renfrew Road, and The Art Department – an exciting new pop-up workshop and performance space in The Paisley Centre. There are also plans for outdoor performances, taking place in the grounds of Lapwing Lodge.

Jenni Mason, Artistic Director of PACE, said: “During Fest! we see the young people who join us grow in confidence, as well as creating amazing performances, and the last few years especially have shown us just how important it is that they have this opportunity to express themselves and to mix with their peers.”

PACE is committed to making sure that financial circumstances are not a barrier to participation and bursary and concessionary places are available for all of their activities, for families who might otherwise be unable to attend.

Fest will run from 28 June – 12 Aug 2023 and the full programme can be viewed at www.pacefest.com.

Wendy and Peter Pan

PACE Young Company are delighted to present this magical tale of pirates, fairies, friendship, and endless adventure – with something for all the family. First performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2013, Ella Hickson's version of J.M. Barrie's muchloved story puts the character of Wendy firmly centre stage, in an adaptation that is refreshingly modern but never loses the charm of the original.

Wendy and Peter Pan will perform in our pop-up Art Department Theatre and will feature over 80 young actors aged 12-21.

8 -11 June (times vary)

To book: www.pacetheatre. com/boxoffice/

Diane Mitchell Music School

The Diane Mitchell Music School was started by Diane, a Primary School Teacher and music specialist, in Brick Lane Studios in 2015.

Diane is passionate about music and its positive impact on people of all ages.

The music school offers one to one music lessons for all ages, in a wide variety of instruments, including piano, keyboard, drums, guitar, violin, cello, trumpet and voice. In addition, there are a range of group classes for children, based upon the Kodaly approach. These classes help to develop the child’s musical ear and aims to develop the child into a complete musician by teaching the core musical concepts of beat, rhythm and pitch. T

They include Musical Tots for Age 0-3 years, Musical Maestros and Piano Tots for Age 3-5 years, Junior Musicianship and Piano Kids classes for 5-9 years. There are also theory classes, Guitar and Ukulele groups, Musical Creators – a Musical theatre group and Rhythm Kids – a class which combines song writing and playing a variety of instruments.

Due to Diane’s determination that music should be accessible to everyone regardless of background, race or culture, she established Brick Lane Music Academy CIC in 2020, which offers music education to every area of the community.

The aim is to teach and use music to enhance people’s lives, improve mental health, build confidence and develop new skills.

Some of the projects delivered are the music cafes for older people on a Tuesday at 11am and an intergenerational café on a Thursday at 11am.

The cafes are an opportunity to make friends and include djembe drums, ukulele, percussion and singing as well as a light lunch.

As a result of Diane’s community work, she was delighted to have won the Provost’s Community Award for Arts and Culture this year.

Diane Mitchell Music School is so excited for the return of our Summer Musical Activity weeks for July 2023!

We have themed, musical sessions run by our tutors Caitlin and Kirsty on Monday - Thursday each week for children aged 5+.

• w/c July 3rd: Magical Musicians

• w/c July 10th: Rockstar Recordings

• w/c July 17th: Beyond the Sea

• w/c July 24th: Super Musicians

• w/c August 1st - we are currently finalising a session for 3 - 5 year olds

Early drop-off and late pick-up options are available for each week. Get in touch for more information and secure your space –call 0141 328 6983 or email info@dianemitchellmusicschool.co.uk

WE MEET THE ENTREPRENEUR DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM THE TOWN’S HERITAGE TO MAKE HER MARK IN PAISLEY TODAY.

Lisa Thom, proud owner of The Auld Atelier which opened in the town’s New Street last December explains; “I’ve been sewing for 20 years, having been given a sewing machine when I was 21.

“Although I had done some sewing in high school economics classes, I really wouldn't say I could sew. However, I'd watched my mum make Halloween costumes and a wedding outfit when I was young.

“It was magical to me that she could take a flat piece of fabric and turn it into something wearable. For many years, it was just a hobby I would turn to now and again. When I had children, I enjoyed making them clothes and everything grew from there.

“Originally I was a primary school teacher because I've always loved teaching and helping people. When my son was young, he was diagnosed with autism and needed more care than I could provide whilst working so I had to leave my teaching career. Learning to sew and draft patterns was part of how I kept some time for myself in those years.

“Eventually, I went to Glasgow Clyde College to study Fashion Technology and then on to Heriot Watt University where I earned a 1st Class Honours degree in Fashion Technology. adapt their own patterns, because drafting patterns is one of my favourite things.

“This honed my sewing and pattern creating skills and I knew I wanted to combine those with my teaching experience to bring sewing to a whole new group of people.

“At the heart, The Auld Atelier is here to teach people how to sew. Currently, I offer two levels of beginner classes which take people from setting up a machine to being able to create garments by following patterns.

“For those people who feel they can sew a little but lack confidence, or perhaps the space at home, they can book into Club sessions. Those allow people to come in to use the equipment in The Auld Atelier for their own projects, and they can then draw on me for guidance and support where they need it.

“There are also some short workshops for complete beginners, such as making a tote bag or hair accessories.”

“I also stock a very small range of fabric, haberdashery and sewing tools,” added Lisa. “Right now, those are aimed at the kind of things that people just learning to sew might need, but I can look to order in anything that people need.

“Level One teaches how to begin sewing and make a skirt, Level Two works on the skills needed to make a top. Next, I'll be launching Level Three which will develop the skills to make trousers. I'm also working on classes and projects for children.

“After that, I am looking to develop a range of workshops and sew-alongs for more experienced sewists, and then on lessons to teach people how to draft and fashion design and textile design projects where they could create their own fabrics!

“In time, I want to expand this to include all of the things I love to browse through in haberdasheries, but that side will take time to grow.

“Coming together for classes and clubs also gives people a chance to socialise - or sewcialise. Often, sewing is difficult to share with friends as you have to carry heavy, expensive equipment around, but at The Auld Atelier, you can come together with friends - or make new ones - without any hassle.

It also gives people a little bit of confidence. I hope they leave feeling proud of themselves and enthusiastic about their next project. “At the moment, children age 8+ can book to attend workshops with or without an adult. Very soon, I will be launching classes and clubs for children. Children from 8 up to and including those in S2 at school will be in one age group and teens in S3-S6 will be in another. The children & teens will first take part in a 6 week beginner course to learn the basics of sewing.

“These sessions will teach children just how much goes into making the clothes that they wear, the wider issues of sustainability in the fashion industry, and hopefully help them learn to make do and mend their clothes rather than relying on fast fashion for their wardrobe.

“The fashion industry is one of the dirtiest, least sustainable industries, and solving that is complex. Whilst manmade fibres can seem like the big problem, natural fibres such as cotton require huge amounts of water and chemicals to make too. The cotton industry is thought to be to blame for the drying out of the Aral Sea basin - our thirst for new jeans and t-shirts has literally dried out a sea.

“Before buying the shop, I didn’t think I had any previous connections to Paisley,” added Lisa.

“However, since then, I have discovered that my great-great-grandfather, Thomas Clark lived on New Street in 1881. He lived where Vienna's now stands, in the building that was there before.

“People often talk about the death of the High Street, yet I have found it a place full of individual designs and so much creativity. Paisley has so much to offer people looking to learn something new and I love being a part of that. Particularly for me, the link to the textile past of this area is a real draw.

“After that, the younger age group can choose to attend The Wee Fashion School where they will choose, as a group, projects to work on each month such as sewing projects, or even

“So, learning to mend clothes or upcycle charity shop finds helps us to reduce our environmental impact.”

“I have really enjoyed meeting new people - the people who join me for classes and workshops, and the people in local businesses who have taken the time to support me.

“My family also love that I now have a proper space for all of my sewing equipment!”