People from Salford and beyond have raised more than £50,000 in support of the Lowry Theatre’s annual Festive Appeal.
The Salford theatre launched its yearly campaign to raise funds, which allows children and young people across Greater Manchester to participate in creative learning programmes.
The donations received enable the Lowry to create safe and inspiring spaces where young people can take part in a wide range of activities, from visual arts sessions that support wellbeing and self‑expression to performance and drama opportunities that help them build confidence, develop their voices, and form friendships.
With the funding, the Lowry can remove practical barriers to participation, providing things like transport, food, and other essentials so that every young person can take part fully and comfortably.
The £50,600 raised by the appeal will support more than 22,000 people who take part in the Lowry’s creative programmes every year.
One young person explained the difference these programmes have made to their life:
“Before I started coming to Lowry…I didn’t want to get out of the house… Now, I enjoy being out and about and I want to do things. Coming to Lowry reminds me of what I can do…I’m much more confident and less judgmental of myself…I don’t doubt myself as much…my self-esteem has changed so much.”
Another said: “By coming to Lowry, I feel like my confidence slowly boosts during each lesson. I also think I’ve become a little bit more sociable, everyone accepts you for who you are.”
Audiences who attended the Lowry’s festive shows, including The Red Shoes, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Unfortunate, and The Enormous Crocodile have generously donated in their thousands via bucket collections – with every penny counting. Donations also came in digitally and through the purchase of special festive drinks in the Lowry Bar and Kitchen.
At the heart of it all were Lowry’s VIPs, a dedicated team of group volunteers who took on the vital role of leading bucket collections after every performance. Their enthusiasm, commitment, and warmth made a real difference to the success of the campaign.
One volunteer, Laurence Josephson, who hosts a popular local quiz, went above and beyond by generously donating his quiz fee to the appeal.
The Salford theatre has Lowry also extended a heartfelt thank-you to the participants of Uswim’s annual New Year’s Day charity swim, who generously donated £1,000 to this year’s appeal.
The Lowry’s Director of Learning & Engagement, Jenny Riding, said: “We’re so grateful to everyone who donated to this year’s Lowry Festive Appeal. As a charity, we couldn’t deliver the work we do in our communities without their generosity and support.
“A special thanks to the cast and crew from The Red Shoes, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Unfortunate, and The Enormous Crocodile who have each shared the vital work we do with audiences, and our wonderful volunteers who have collected donations after every single one of our festive performances – thank you!”
