Where Entertainment Blooms
This year has been a triumphant one for The Roses Theatre. Our small but mighty venue has made waves in the community with a diverse and exciting live show programme, a growing community initiative, and a highly successful youth theatre—just to name a few highlights.
Our mission is to bring joy through creativity, and it underpins everything The Roses does, whether that’s through our new dementia friendly activities, weekly community choir, or our ever-growing annual youth theatre performances.
Take a look at what The Roses has achieved this year, in numbers:
£34,565.95 raised for Infinite Creatives new community programmes: Dementia Friendly Activities and Acting Up!
31,531 live show tickets purchased
10,555 cinema tickets purchased
15,935 pantomime tickets purchased
7 0 0 %
66 regular volunteers increase in support for our freelance creatives
1new youth festival: The Future’s Now new festival of culture: Two Rivers Converge new youth theatre group: RYC Minis
New! Dementia Friendly Programme
Earlier this year, we were the proud recipient of Gloucestershire County Council’s Thriving Communities grant, which enabled us to kick-start a dementia-friendly programme for those living with dementia, their families, friends and carers.
The programme features a monthly film screening at a reduced ticket price, with an interval, and includes a complimentary hot drink and biscuits before the show.
In preparation for the launch, our volunteers received dementia awareness training, and those directly supporting the programme underwent additional training with the Managing Memory team. Since launching in May, the Dementia Friendly Film programme has grown steadily, and we’ve even welcomed back audience members who haven’t been to The Roses in half a decade.
Building on this success, we introduced The Roses’ Memory Café, a friendly space where attendees share memories of Tewkesbury and The Roses, looking at old photographs and listening to classic film music. The programme has been recognised by Gloucestershire County Council as a model case study. We are also one of the lead partners of the Tewkesbury Dementia Action Alliance, working with NHS practitioners and local organisations such as Guideposts, Age UK and Mindsong to ensure we continue to meet the needs of the local community.
Community Highlights
The Roses is home to a growing Creative Health and Wellbeing programme that uses creativity and social groups to connect people, reduce social isolation, and harness the power of song, craft and art.
The Roses’ Choir
We proudly host 45 choir members every week, offering a space to learn new songs, socialise, and improve mental and physical health through singing.
Sing for Health & Wellbeing
These monthly sessions are led by a local voice specialist and regularly attract up to 22 participants
K2Togs Knitting Group
Our friendly weekly knitting group has been running for over 10 years, providing not only companionship but also fundraising support through the sale of handmade creations.
A Place to Be Together
We offer a home to various social activities, from bingo and board games to quizzes, giving people a place to meet and connect with like-minded individuals.
A Place to Create
Our new Acting Up! group, along with monthly Drink & Draw and open mic nights, provides a space for creativity, new hobbies and shared talent. Nearly 200 tickets have been sold for Drink & Draw this year, and 15 local creatives regularly join our open mic nights.
We’ve also launched new community partnerships with Caring for Communities & People, Gloucestershire ADHD Support Group and Adult and Education Gloucestershire.
Jordan and Linda creating memory boards Staff and volunteers vist the Little Theatre, Bath to learn more about their Dementia programme
Youth & Education
Our youth and education programme continues to go from strength to strength. It plays a vital role in engaging local young people, nurturing their talent, and ensuring that The Roses and the arts remain a vibrant part of Tewkesbury for generations to come.
Roses Young Creatives (RYC)
Our youth theatre, Roses Young Creatives (RYC), is a nurturing environment led by expert facilitators for 5-18-year-olds. It helps them build confidence, express themselves and thrive both personally and creatively.
Most groups are at capacity, with growing waiting lists. The academic year concludes in an annual production, this year being We Will Rock You Young@ Part, which sold almost 850 tickets over three performances.
This is by no means a stereotypical youth theatre production; it takes months of preparation, casting, and rehearsing, as well as weeks of set creation and technical preparation. It’s something both parents and the youth theatre are very proud of.
Our pricing ensures RYC is accessible to all, regardless of background, and we currently provide six bursaries each year in addition to summer school places.
What the parents said about We Will Rock You Young@Part...
“I am deeply humbled by the incredible work you do. Transforming these diverse groups of children into what I can proudly call stars is truly remarkable, and I am honored to witness it. Please accept my heartfelt thank you.”
“I (sic) just wanted to send a massive thankyou to all the team behind making the weekly sessions and the shows possible. We loved tonight. Even more so though having somewhere my child can come once a week away from the friend-struggles she has at school has been so important for me as a parent, so thank you. The confidence and self-belief you are instilling in the children is fab.”
RYC Highlights
Launched the new RYC Minis group in September, a weekly class for 3–5-year-olds.
100% of participants surveyed would recommend the programme.
8.5/10 participants rated the RYC programme as good value for money or said they would pay more.
“Outstanding. This is a fantastic programme for youth. Everyone involved is amazing. It’s great to see how it has progressed and grown over the time we have been involved.”
RYC Company Parent
“Her confidence has soared! She was suffering with anxiety and lack of confidence before she joined but she has really flourished because of this wonderful group. It is an absolute delight to see her light up when she is on stage.”
RYC Beginners Parent
Infinite Creatives
One of the year’s highlights was the expansion of our Infinite Creatives programme, made possible by our Big Give Arts for Impact Campaign and kind donations from our community. This weekly initiative offers art, music, and drama sessions to improve the confidence and mental wellbeing of 10–18-year-olds.
Running since September 2022, Infinite Creatives was able to continue and expand this year thanks to £34,565.95 raised in just one week, allowing us to continue providing life-changing extracurricular activities for children with special educational needs in North Gloucestershire.
The next phase of Infinite Creatives started in September 2024 and we’re looking forward to being able to give more updates as the academic year progresses.
“We were incredibly grateful to everyone who donated to Infinite Creatives. Without this fundraising and with no other alternative funding available, we’d have been devastated if Infinite Creatives couldn’t have continued. Our charity mission is to bring joy through creativity, Infinite Creatives goes towards closing the gap on extra-curricular activity for Gloucestershire’s children with special educational needs and is critical to support our local community. We couldn’t have done this without the help of everyone who donated to Big Give.” Jessica Brewster, Director of The Roses
The Future’s Now Festival
In April, we launched The Future’s Now Festival, as part of our youth engagement strategy. This two-day event offered a free cinema programme focused on AI, VR gaming, and automation, with virtual reality experiences taking centre stage.
In addition, we had blockbuster Dune: Part 2, free for the first 30 under 25s.
The entire programme was selected by students at local schools and colleges through focus groups.
Key Festival Highlights:
230 tickets given to under 25s
170 tickets sold to over 25s
9/10 survey respondents would recommend the event to friends
Work Experience
We offer local students the chance to get meaningful work experience at The Roses, tailoring their experience to their career goals.
In a survey, all students said they felt supported during their work experience and would consider a future career in the arts.
“I have learnt everything I wanted to. I got to see everything that happens behind the scenes of shows and performances. I Did some amazing training for learning difficulties and autism as well.” Work Experience Participant
Your Support Makes a Difference
Even if we sold out every show, we would not make enough to cover the cost of running the venue—80% of our ticket sales go directly to the artists. Unlike similar and larger venues, we currently receive no local government or Arts Council core funding. That’s why we’re a charity: to truly thrive, we rely on supporters like you.
This year, we’ve restructured our fundraising department, building a sustainable model of income across five key pillars: campaigns, membership, major gifts and legacy, sponsorship and trusts.
2024
Membership Relaunches
The Roses has many loyal supporters, but the membership structure had not changed in a decade. The relaunch ensured that membership genuinely supports community, live, and film programming while introducing exciting new perks.
Since the relaunch, here’s what’s happened:
£12,000 annually has been raised from our Friends
13 new Patrons have joined
15 new Business Patrons have joined our newly launched Business Patron programme
Eight issues of The Roses Chronicle, a new members’ magazine, have been produced
10 events for Patrons have been hosted, including our Patrons’ Dinner, which filled the bar!
“Thanks again for a fun and informative night, we love being a part of it.” Patrons’ Dinner, June 2024
Feb – A Legacy Gift of £5,000
The Roses received an incredible legacy gift of £5,000 from a generous long-standing supporter. This gift was left with the intention of supporting young people entering theatre with an interest in technical areas.
“We are delighted to have used this gift towards updates to our backstage and continue to support young people at the start of their careers” Grace End, Development Manager
Apr – The Big Give: Arts for Impact
We raised £34,565, exceeding our £20,000 target, to support Infinite Creatives, a unique programme in Gloucestershire offering young people with special educational needs weekly access to the arts.
Jun – Thriving Communities Grant
The Roses secured a grant from Thriving Communities to expand our Dementia Films and Memory Café programme.
2025
The Roses Turns 50!
The Roses is launching a campaign to raise £50,000 to fund a new creative wellbeing programme.
The Roses at 50: Changing Lives Through Creativity
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we are launching a campaign to raise £50,000 to fund a new creative wellbeing department. The department will provide year-round creative wellbeing programmes to support mental wellbeing across North Gloucestershire and South Worcestershire.
We already have £25,000 matched major donations but we need your help to raise a further £25,000 to unlock these funds between Tue 3 – Tue 10 Dec.
What The Creative Programme Involves
Over 70,000 people in Gloucestershire have a diagnosed mental health condition, over 13,000 over 65s have depression, and one in four young people report low mental wellbeing above – the national average. Clinical and mental health services are severely stretched and there’s over 600 on the waiting list for adolescent mental health services.
Community and creative hubs like The Roses can play a huge role in relieving capacity on clinical services, providing alternative support for those in need.
Taking part in creative activities has a huge positive impact on mental health. In recent studies, those with depression doing regular creative activities saw a 73% decrease in symptoms.
As part of our 50th anniversary we are working with education, health and arts partners to establish a new creative health department and strategy; providing support to improve mental wellbeing in children and adults across North Gloucestershire and South Worcestershire.
The programme will help towards closing the gap in underfunded government mental health services, providing alternative ways to tackle the mental health crisis happening in Gloucestershire, with a focus on those who struggle the most to access services and support.
Help us meet our £50,000 goal! Donations via Big Give will open from Tue 3 – Tue 10 Dec, but you can make your donation promise today at rosestheatre.org/creative-health and we’ll send you a reminder.
Programme Aims
Aim 1
Provide a year-round creative wellbeing programme that works with the NHS, education and arts partners to provide alternative services to those seeking to improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Aim 2
Promote taking part in arts and creativity as a method of improving mental wellbeing.
Aim 3
Remove barriers for children and adults with special needs to access creative wellbeing by partnering with local special schools to launch a theatre-making programme. The programme will allow the children to explore the extra challenges they face as they grow up, build their confidence and resilience.
Aim 4
Decrease isolation and depression in those over 65 by expanding our programme for older people, particularly those caring for and with dementia. We will also explore with our partners how to increase accessibility to creative activities for those unable to leave their homes.
Aim 5
Promote dance as a brilliant way to tackle depression. Dance has been proven to be more effective than drugs in tackling depression. Over the next three years we will reestablish The Roses as a dance centre in the Southwest, providing a range of accessible dance programmes for all backgrounds.
We’re Bloomin’ 50!
In 2025, The Roses celebrates an incredible milestone – we’re turning 50!
This marks half a century of creativity, community and unforgettable performances. Next year will be a year-long celebration with our local community, packed with exciting events and special moments to honour our shared history. We can’t wait to celebrate this golden anniversary with you!
January
Golden Memories:
50 Years of Your Stories
Let’s mark 50 years of theatre together; share your Roses memories with us.
March
Roses Rewind
Throwback to the best-loved films voted for by the community.
May
Bloomin’ 50 Fest
Join us for an exciting 70s themed street festival.
October
The Roses Gala
An invite-only special event to celebrate our 50th year.
February
Two Rivers Converge Festival
Tewkesbury’s cultural festival, led by The Roses, is back for its second year.
April
So Glos Gloucestershire Lifestyle Awards
We’re proud to sponsor the Charity of the Year category, raising awareness of our charity status with the county’s leading entertainment media.
July
Roses Young Creatives Annual Production
Our youth theatre’s biggest production yet returns for our 50th anniversary, promising to be more spectacular than ever!
December
Jack and the Beanstalk Pantomime
For 2025, our Christmas pantomime will be the magical story of Jack and the Beanstalk.