Merseyside school children need a concert venue after Pontins shuts

More than 300 schoolchildren from 11 schools are facing a huge disappointment after the venue for their annual concert was forced to close.

Pontins in Southport announced it was shutting the branch at the beginning of January 2024 and notified the schools that their theatre would no longer be available.

The holiday park company has offered alternative venues, but none are suitable for the hundreds of parents who have already bought tickets for the variety show.

Becky Woods is Headteacher at St Nicholas CE Primary School in Crosby and one of the organisers of the event.

She said: "We would all be really devasted if the show can't go ahead, the children have put hours of hard work into their performances, but we are not giving up hope and we are still looking for another suitable venue"

The Equality and Diversity Concert is an annual event that brings together 11 schools in the Crosby Area Partnership in Teaching and Learning.

Children from Year 1 to Year 6 take part in the show

Children at the schools have continued to rehearse their songs, dance and musical instruments.

Hattie Honess, a year six pupil at St Nicholas CE Primary school said: "I'm really excited about the show, I really hope we can do it because everyone  has been so excited about it and it would just be sad and disappointing if we can't do it"

Peter Harvey hosts the show and says it gives the children a rare opportunity to perform

"Sometimes in schools I think we put the spotlight on academic attainment  rather than creativity and we are all born with creativity and this is an opportunity for them to literally go centre stage and  to perform their songs and their dance and they absolutely buzz off it"

Pontins were providing the Theatre for free, meaning schools could keep the cost of tickets down, Becky Woods says that is the main problem when looking for a replacement venue

"All of the ticket pricing has been based on a free venue, we don't make a profit we just cover costs and the cost of the transport to and from the venue for the children so t is going to be quite tricky to find somewhere new, but we really want to make sure that this message of positivity and diversity gets across"

The concert was due to take place at the beginning of February, so the schools have just a few weeks to find a venue and ensure the show will go on.