COVID-19 SUPPORT
This is really, really important. We believe it is crucial for young people that we provide some form of normality through the COVID-19 outbreak. As you’ll know, we’ve had to take the devastating decision to close our evening delivery. From Friday 20th March we will be providing the following: VIRTUAL MUSIC LESSONS/JAMS – Music lessons/jams get togethers will happen on Monday and Thursdays from 7pm till 9pm and Wednesdays 6pm till 8pm. This will be through Facebook live and you will be able to choose which musician you hook up with – details will be on our Livewire members support page. SUPPORT – ANY young person local to us that is in need of emotional support can TXT 07398 091507, giving – YOUR NAME YOUR AGETHE PROBLEMA STAFF MEMBER’S NAME, IF YOU WANT TO TALK TO SOMEONE SPECIFIC We will then get back to you. VIRTUAL LIVEWIRE – On MONDAYS and THURSDAYS there will be Youth Workers and Counsellors able to chat between 7pm and 9pm and on WEDNESDAYS 6pm till 8pm on our Livewire members support page. This will include regular updates and supports via Facebook live from Andy Rance and Elaine At Livewire. TELEPHONE SUPPORT – On…
The State of Play
Article by our very own Nigel Follett, appearing in ‘Love Saltash’ magazine, May 2019. Much is said about the decline of medium-sized music venues in and around Plymouth and it’s probably fair to say that it’s not a pretty picture, with seemingly every news report lamenting the impending demise of accessible and affordable gigs for the average music fan. Equally, you’d also think that ‘real music’ is in terminal decline and that we are all starving on a diet of force-fed, banal, studio-cooked gruel, dished out by popular broadcasters as a flavourless substitute for the glory days of classic rock. Except that much of it isn’t true and most of the above is a superficial view, concealing a brilliant, vibrant and creative force of young musicians and some great local music hotspots that are prepared to serve a rich bill of fare for the more discerning. One such venue has caught everyone by surprise in the Plymouth area, suddenly appearing on the touring circuit of some of the UK’s most pre-eminent Rock and Indy bands, as well as staging a healthy representation of some of the greats from the past few decades. It gets more interesting again when you understand…
Christmas Came Early…
Christmas came early… …for a lucky few of our young people this weekend. They met the band ‘Enter Shikari’, when they played a gig at Plymouth University on Saturday 8th December – a massive thank you to the band and their management. It wouldn’t be true to say that Livewire can introduce our young members to top bands all the time, but it certainly happens and it’s always inspirational. Sometimes these bands even gig in our own venue right here in Saltash. If you aspire to be a songwriter, musician, recording, sound or lighting engineer, then Livewire is for you. If you don’t know what you want to be but would like to have a go at all of it, Livewire is also for you. It’s all FREE if you’re aged between 13-21. In just a short time, the band you form at Livewire could be supporting major national touring acts like ‘Bad Touch’ or ‘The Quireboys’, playing to a full house. If you want an adrenaline rush, this is one of the best you’ll ever get. All of this is on offer to you, right now. All you need to do is come along and get involved. Did we…
Anxiety Is a Dirty Ugly Liar!
Article by Andy Rance. First published in Love Saltash – December 2018. Anxiety is that quiet voice that tells you ‘you can’t’ when you can – it tells you you’re ugly, that no one really likes you, that you’re worthless, that you’re unlikeable! Like most liars, once they’ve been found out they usually disappear, so if your anxiety is lying to you, check it out with someone you trust, or come and chat to one of us lot at Livewire! Anxiety holds more people prisoner than anything else, real freedom comes from realising just what a dirty, ugly liar it is. Problematic anxiety has become almost an epidemic amongst young people (and many adults too), however it is is a normal emotion that we all experience, such as in the run up to exams or a job interview, but when it becomes much more severe, this feeling can take over and begin to interfere with everyday life and in some cases lead to severe mental health issues. At Livewire we are starting some targeted and focused work with young people experiencing problematic anxiety issues, this might include counselling, it might include youth worker one to one or group support, or even the…
Livewire Launches New Mental Health Service For Young People
Saltash, Cornwall. June 9, 2018 Livewire Youth Project’s new mental health service for young people – ‘Heart n’ Soul’, is now up and running. With generous grant funding of £80,000 from Global’s ‘Make Some Noise’, the Saltash Waterside based charity is providing an on-site Mental Health Worker for two years, with the intention of making this a permanent service. Global’s ‘Make Some Noise’ is the official charity of Global, the Media & Entertainment group, and home to Capital, Heart, LBC, Classic FM, Smooth, Radio X, Capital XTRA and Gold. After the funding was received in April, Livewire embarked upon a lengthy and complex recruitment process resulting in the hiring of Elaine Keogh, who is now heading up Livewire’s mental health support services. Andy Rance, Livewire Youth work Coordinator explains, ‘Young people’s mental health and wellbeing has been a growing problem over the past few years. Since national and local government introduced widespread and devastating austerity measures, the numbers of young people presenting with issues has increased frighteningly. We became painfully aware that long waiting lists for help and support were exacerbating an already intolerable situation for young people who were struggling. We decided enough was enough and that we needed to do…
Recording ‘My Generation’ in Cornwall
Thanks to the amazing kindness of legendary ‘Who’ guitarist, Pete Townshend, Saltash based Livewire Youth Music will be offering local young musicians the chance to use our recording studio, free, and to learn hands-on how to use recording studio equipment. We are delighted to announce that Cornwall Music Education Hub will be financially supporting the new studio project (unofficially known as ‘Pete’s Place’), by funding regular Saturday recording sessions and funding Livewire’s sound engineer, teaching young people on Thursday evenings how to use the new studio. Having the new studio is awesome, but we needed someone to develop and run it, and Cornwall Music Hub has given us that opportunity. Pete’s request to us was to record as many young musicians as possible and to teach as many young people how to use it – now with this additional support that’s exactly what Livewire will be doing when it returns from its summer holidays in September 2017. Situated on the banks of the river Tamar, the new studio complex at Livewire Youth Music encompasses much of the building, with its live music venue doubling as a massive and great sounding live room. Livewire’s ‘Purple Room’, rehearsal room, will be doubling…