*THE REACHOUT ARTS GROUP*

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National awards recognition for Shropshire creative company

BUSINESS June 1, 2022 Updated: 6 days ago By Shropshire Live Business and Shropshire Biz 

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Creative specialists at a Shropshire consultancy are celebrating after scooping a coveted national award in their milestone anniversary year.
 

ReachOut Arts is an event management and educational workshop company, which has been named as Shropshire Business Champions 2022 at the Town and County Awards in London. And the success has come in the year the Bridgnorth-based team are marking their fifth anniversary after surviving the challenges of Covid-19 and frequent lockdowns. Director Saskia Fuchs said: “We started as a small female-led arts and education company and we’ve grown into a national, accredited consultancy providing bespoke support for large visitor attractions, theatre performances, and interactive, immersive educational workshops all over the UK. “We were chosen as finalists in the Town and County Awards from a wide range of businesses across Shropshire, and to be named as the winner against such brilliant competition made us speechless. “It was a real boost to our reputation and a testament to the hard work our team has put in to deliver incredible events to our ever-growing client list.” ReachOut Arts covers two key areas: – The creative consultancy ReachOut Creative focuses on event management and planning for a successful arts programme or marketing project covering all areas of event set-up including theatrical production from idea to stage. – ReachOut Educate delivers workshops to schools and educational settings specialising in anti-bullying, building confidence and living history. The consultancy has delivered several large-scale projects in the last year including working with Dame Julie Walters on the sell-out Enchanted Express with the Severn Valley Railway. “We have also partnered with Telford College and Birmingham Institute of Art and Design as professional affiliates working alongside students on live briefs and offering year-round placements,” said Saskia. Saskia and fellow director Gem Bridges-Medley have over 35 years of combined experience working with students of all ages. They are now working with their support team up and down the country offering creative consultancy advice to help museums, tourist attractions and other settings enhance the experience their visitors enjoy. Gem said: “This year we’re delivering a family friendly production in the main arena at Shrewsbury Flower giving a Jubilee twist to the story of Alice in Wonderland, and we’re involved in the Queen’s baton events locally for the Commonwealth Games. “We have also been working with the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust too and the team at Camp Bestival and are excited to what the future holds for ReachOut Arts. “It’s an incredibly busy time for us, but we’re excited to see what started with just the two of us grow into such a dynamic and thriving business.”

Read the full article via Shropshire Live at: https://www.shropshirelive.com/business/2022/06/01/national-awards-recognition-for-shropshire-creative-company/

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https://www.shropshirebiz.com/news/reach-out-award

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*REACHOUT CREATIVE*

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Britain's Scenic Railways at Christmas  - Channel 4

Members of our team were delighted to participate in a documentary celebrating our clients, the Severn Valley Railway. 

Originally aired Boxing Day, 2021. 

* REACHOUT CREATIVE*

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Jez is right man for important job at Severn Valley Railway

By Paul Jenkins BridgnorthPublished: June 3, 2022Last Updated: June 3, 2022

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Jez was the man when it came to announcing the start of the Queen's jubilee celebrations in Bridgnorth, and it's not the first time semi- professional actor has worked at the Severn Valley Railway (SVR).

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Shrewsbury-based Jez played Father Christmas over four weekends at the popular attraction last Christmas.

The railway works with Bridgnorth based Reach Out Arts who provide entertainment and displays for various events at different stations.

They provided pre-departure entertainment at Bridgnorth Station for Steam in Lights as well as a Christmas show at Arley that formed part of the Santa Train experience, with Jez handing out the presents, 

Jez got the weekend officially underway with a proclamation about the event and why it was taking place on the platform of Bridgnorth Station yesterday, with hundreds of visitors listening to his every word.

A licensed town crier, the robes he used were provided with the approval of Shropshire Council.

He is also a toast-master at weddings and hosts auctions as well as taking part in drama workshops but he admitted the prospect of doing the proclamation was quite daunting.

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He said: "The last time I worked with the railway was as Santa Claus in the four weeks leading up to Christmas.

"As Santa Claus doesn't work all year round I need to find extra work so when this came up it was exciting if a bit nerve wracking at first.

"You have to be an approved town crier, you can't just rock up and do it and there aren't that many of us so there is a lot to live up to.

"To shout the proclamation on such an important occasion was quite daunting even though I have done many of these before but I hope I did the Queen justice.

"I love doing this kind of work and have been all over the county and beyond with it - my day job takes me more towards Birmingham so it is nice to be able to get out and about in Shropshire in my spare time."

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Shropshire Star - June 3rd 2022

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*REACHOUT CREATIVE*

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Christmas services selling fast at the Severn Valley Railway

3rd November 2021 Sam Hewitt News, Railtours, Steam

The Severn Valley Railway (SVR) has revealed its range of Christmas experiences, starting from November 19 through until Christmas Eve. 

With limited availability on some services, and a sell-out on others, SVR hopes for a bumper Christmas season this year.

The Steam in Lights services depart from Bridgnorth, starting on November 19, and organisers promise the event will be bigger and better than ever, as the train, adorned with thousands of glittering lights, travels through the winter evenings. 

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Lewis Maddox, events manager at SVR, said: “We have double the number of lineside displays,” explained events manager Lewis Maddox. 

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“Everyone will be astounded by the magic, and we’re are delighted to be working with a local performing arts company on the entertainment for Steam in Lights, as well as our other Christmas services.”

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Bridgnorth-based ReachOut Arts have been collaborating with the SVR for several years, and are providing pre-departure entertainment at Bridgnorth station for Steam in Lights, as well as the Christmas show at Arley that forms a central part of the Santa Train experience.

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This year, the company also developed the script for the brand new Enchanted Express experience, which has been recorded by Dame Julie Walters in readiness for the event.

Although The Enchanted Express has sold out, there are still seats available on services for Steam in Lights (departing from Bridgnorth), the Santa Trains (departing from Kidderminster) and the Carol Train services (from Kidderminster) which feature a festive concert at The Engine House, Highley. 

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Visit www.svr.co.uk for more information.

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(Sam Hewitt, The Railway Magazine, 3rd Nov 2021 - This article also featured in other press)

* REACHOUT CREATIVE*

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Shropshire theatre company diversifies its portfolio

By Andrew Revill Bridgnorth Bridgnorth entertainment 

Published: Oct 11, 2021Last Updated: Oct 11, 2021

A Shropshire theatre company is awaiting the launch of a new children's book as the company adapted to the pressures of the pandemic.

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Gem Bridges-Medley and Saskia Fuchs of Reach Out Arts, based in Bridgnorth, had the idea for the book in their heads, but hadn't the time to commit to writing the words and doing the artwork for it until Covid-19 forced everyone into lockdown.

Gem explained: "As a theatre and events company, when lockdown hit last year, our entire industry closed down. So as directors of our company we decided to use our time wisely and we created a series of children's books about a young girl who has a wonderful imagination that allows her to jump into and visit any world she paints at her Magic Easel."

The first book, The Magic Easel - To The Beach, will be available to purchase on Thursday this week through Amazon. It is inspired by holidays in the UK.

The next book that Gem and Saskia are currently working on is about a train visit, based heavily on the much-loved Severn Valley Railway.

Gem added: "We are so proud to still be standing as a company after the pandemic, particularly with the restrictions we have had to deal with, from a lack of financial support available to cancellations of performances and closure of our theatre schools.

"We have remained strong and are now seeing our company build back up, visiting schools and providing local businesses with creative support for their events - we are very excited to have more projects in the pipeline."