“I could see that there was a wide range of young people performing from different backgrounds and abilities and their achievements were most inspiring. You are obviously providing a very well run and much-needed service and it is good for me to see how grants make a difference to local communities. It was also encouraging to see so many families in attendance”
Barbara Gubbins, Chief Executive, County Durham Foundation
“The Making Changes Together parents group were able to commission a range of innovative services for disabled children across the county. One such service that families identified as excellent was Enter CIC due to the imaginative approach that they adopt. It is very encouraging to see new organisation develop and provider real opportunities for disabled children and young people”
Paul McGinnety Durham County Council
Paul McGinnety Durham County Council
“A big thank you to all of the students for a fantastic 90 minutes, I can only hope they enjoyed working with me as much as I enjoyed working with them! I always include a few silly exercises as part of my warm-up to gauge how willing students are to ‘have a go’ and it was great to see everyone join in without worrying about feeling embarrassed. I was particularly impressed by the speed at which the group picked up the routine and some of the character development work was fab. A massive well done to all!”
Gemma Clough, Creative Learning Manager at the Sunderland Empire Theatre
Gemma Clough, Creative Learning Manager at the Sunderland Empire Theatre
“Dear Andrea , Jessica & the team, Just a quick note to say thank you so very much for inviting us to the chairman’s medal award night, it was absolutely wonderful to watch so many children and young people actively taking part in something that they all seemed so passionate and interested in doing. You all do a brilliant job, and the medal was well deserved as a mark of the excellent work that you all do, congratulations and good luck with the future! Thank you again”
Paula Nixon, Community Development Project Officer, 4 Together Area Action Partnership (AAP)
“I would like to thank Enter CIC for the excellent work that has been carried out in Ferryhill Station Primary School recently. It was amazing to see the raising of confidence and self-esteem of the children in such a short time. The dance and drama skills that you worked upon were excellent and I’m positive that the workshops you are running will give our children a fantastic opportunity to shine. They are very enthusiastic about the workshops and obviously get great enjoyment from them. Many thanks for giving our children such a splendid opportunity, as many of them would never get the chance to take part in activities like these”
Val Jago, Head teacher, Ferryhill Station Primary School
Val Jago, Head teacher, Ferryhill Station Primary School
“May i take this opportunity to thank you and your staff at Enter CIC for the excellent series of dance workshops that you have just completed with the year 5 and 6 classes in our school. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even those who don’t normally consider themselves as dancers. The performance itself in the town market place last week was just brilliant, and obviously much appreciated by the hundreds who showed up, despite the freezing cold conditions! We very much look forward to working with you on a new project in the near future”
Peter Speck, Headteacher, Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School
Peter Speck, Headteacher, Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School
“I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how much the children have enjoyed the after school drama/dance sessions with Kirsty. It was lovely to see it all coming together too in the market place after the light switch-on on Friday – just a shame that the weather wasn’t at it’s best, but still, it was November! The children did really well and gained in confidence as the weeks went by with the after school sessions. Please keep us in mind if there is anything similar planned for the future as we would love to take part”
Alison Lazenby, Head Teacher, Cleves Cross Primary School
Alison Lazenby, Head Teacher, Cleves Cross Primary School
“It was amazing to see many weeks of hard work and rehearsals culminate in a performance for the whole community to enjoy. By coming into school, Andrea has inspired the children to really reach their potential and pursue new interests. Enter has motivated children from all backgrounds to engage with the arts and believe that they really can achieve something special. During Friday’s performance, it was a delight to see the smiles on the children’s and audiences faces. It was wonderful to see something really different, something which brought Ferryhill to life and really boosted cohesion within the community through the arts.”
Paul Daglish, Deputy Headteacher, Ferryhill Station Primary School
Paul Daglish, Deputy Headteacher, Ferryhill Station Primary School
“May i take this opportunity to you your staff and the whole of the actors and not forgetting the CHILDREN for such a most rememerable evening you were all just out of this world. It was acting at the highest level that I have seen from such a varied cast a full evenings entertainment which will take some beating in the future . So once again THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH FOR SUCH A GLORIOUS EVENING”
Councillor Tommy Garrett
Councillor Tommy Garrett
“How do I start to praise the recent performance, it was pure excellent, and I was so proud of all the young children. They all deserve praise form the entire audience, well done, my wife was saying on the night we have paid good money for west end shows not as good, we look forward to seeing you all again perform and see how you can top this one”
Councillor John Robinson
Councillor John Robinson
“I was blown away by the performance. It was utterly compelling, poignant yet funny and superbly crafted. It captured the essence of what Help for Heroes is all about.”
Alan Saddler Volunteer County Co-ordinator for Help for Heroes
Alan Saddler Volunteer County Co-ordinator for Help for Heroes
“It has been my pleasure to be involved in a small way and to watch the rehearsals and see how it came together. You and your team were brilliant. I am a firm believer that you are only as good as the people you have to work with and your team and the leeds lot as well as principal actors were brilliant. There will be a buzz in the air for all who attended and I would add a degree of jealousy for those who never came. In my opinion this is something that I think you could take on the road all over the country to theatres up and down the UK involving other local communities in the way that you brought Ferryhill together. In short I think you are all amazing, Professional, Unique individuals that I am proud and privileged to know. Regards”
Bugle Major Garry Suggett
Bugle Major Garry Suggett
“May I congratulate you, your actors and pupils, technicians and anyone who was involved with the concert in aid of Help the Heroes for an absolutely wonderful performance on Saturday. The enthusiasm, talent and pure enjoyment coming from the performers was truly infectious and spellbinding. Like every other member of the audience I was thrilled throughout the concert. I eagerly look forward to your next performance but I understand that everyone will need a good rest to recuperate. Kind regards to all”
Councillor Eileen Martin
Councillor Eileen Martin
“I don’t have enough superlatives in my vocabulary to adequately describe my admiration for the young people (and the professionals and Army personnel) who took part in the concert. What a spectacular event it was, from start to finish – at times amusing, at times very poignant, but always polished and entertaining. The young people who join your programme are indeed lucky to have such a dedicated and experienced teacher”
Councillor Les Thompson, Mayor of Durham
Councillor Les Thompson, Mayor of Durham
“I wanted to say how fantastic I thought ‘The Help for Heroes’ concert was on Saturday night. The whole performance was superb and deserves a national audience. The children were a credit to Ferryhill and the money raised is destined for a very good cause. Please pass on my congratulations to everyone involved. I look forward to the next concert!”
Phil Wilson MP, Sedgefield
Phil Wilson MP, Sedgefield
“I walked off chance into a rehearsal for the Help for Heroes performance in Ferryhill, County Durham and was stopped dead in my tracks by the quality and power of the work going on. Impressive doesn’t begin to describe it. Enter CIC challenged the young people to perform at a level none of them would have imagined possible. Only the very best is good enough for Andrea! She said “I know they can do better” and they did! Working with local schools and youth workers, hundreds of local young people were involved in this project and every one of them achieved something exceptional. The show itself was brilliant -local people working alongside professionals to produce a show of genuine quality and emotion. Enter CIC showed the young people what they were capable of – not just in performing arts, but in life. It was truly inspirational”
Carole Payne, Head of Early Intervention and Partnership, Children and Young People’s Services, Durham County Council.
Carole Payne, Head of Early Intervention and Partnership, Children and Young People’s Services, Durham County Council.
