0 Items

Coventry Station Community Day

Coventry Station Community Day

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HEART OF ENGLAND COMMUNITY RAIL PARTNERSHIP

JOINTLY FUNDED BY AVANTI WEST COAST AND COVENTRY CITY COUNCIL

 

Coventry Station Community Day was a joyous celebration for the all the family, marking both the completion of a £82 million redevelopment of Coventry’s railway station and its 60th anniversary.

Featuring an exciting line up with fun for all the family, highlights include:  music from John Bernard and Sandra Godley, dance from Louis Lewinson and Gabhru Panjab, workshops from Coventry Transport Museum exploring green transport, and ‘Learn to Ride a Bike’ sessions for children. 

 

The day concluded with a grand finale of In Transit from Highly Sprung, telling stories of movement, migration and innovation in the city.  Learn more about the performance here. 

Gallery: 

A crowd watches John Bernard, a rapper, as he performs in an outdoor square outside Coventry station. In front of him a toddler is dancing.

John Bernard at Coventry Station Community Day, credit Andy Moore

A group of bhangra dancers perform outside. In the foreground is a south asian woman, with a decorative green, pink and white clothing, lifting one arm into the air.

Gabhru Panjab, at Coventry Station Community Day, credit Andy Moore

A child plays with a wood train and train track. It is outdoors on top of some concrete paving slabs.

Playhem at the Promenade, Coventry Transport Museum, credit Andy Moore

A woman laughs and high fives a child who wears a cycling helmet, both standing in front of an 'Avanti West Coast' sign. The woman is white, in her thirties, wears glasses and has blonde hair that is tied back.

Coventry Station Community Day, credit Andy Moore

Full Gallery

“Avanti West Coast worked alongside Highly Sprung to celebrate the opening of the new Coventry station facility. Highly Sprung were incredibly professional and demonstrated real skill in bringing such diverse project partners together to create an award-winning community event.

Schools, small businesses, council departments, university partners and artists all felt ownership of the celebration event that delivered a thoroughly memorable experience for all involved, including a sizable crowd of audiences and visitors.”  

Craig Mortiboys, Avanti West Coast

“Working with Highly Sprung enabled us to think bigger than we have done before and really extend our reach into the community.

Working alongside the Highly Sprung team we developed an award-winning community engagement project that brought members of the public to the train station for a day-long event and engaged hundreds of young people in performance. Performing alongside children and young people aged 6-15 the professional performers created a spectacular family friendly performance based on transport and it’s importance to the community of Coventry through the centuries. 

 

The day showcased the best of Transport Innovation, Culture and Creativity in Coventry and it would not have been achieved without the huge amount of work and dedication that Highly Sprung put in to collaborating with us on it.”

Julia Singleton Tasker,
Community Rail Partnership

Episode 1

In Episode 1 of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah turn the mic on each other for an open, funny, and heartfelt conversation about where it all began. From Mark’s first terrifying encounter with theatre to Sarah’s unforgettable orangutan playtime, and a possible brush with Michael Morpurgo, they share the moments that shaped their creative journeys. Along the way, they get candid about the realities of running a performing arts charity, the challenges they face, and what the F-in creativity really means to them.

Listen Here

Episode 1

In Episode 1 of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah turn the mic on each other for an open, funny, and heartfelt conversation about where it all began. From Mark’s first terrifying encounter with theatre to Sarah’s unforgettable orangutan playtime, and a possible brush with Michael Morpurgo, they share the moments that shaped their creative journeys. Along the way, they get candid about the realities of running a performing arts charity, the challenges they face, and what the F-in creativity really means to them.

Listen Here

Episode 2

In this episode of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah sit down with Emily Robertson, Senior Associate Artist and Schools Development Co-ordinator at Highly Sprung. Conversation includes chats around the powerful connection between education and creativity, why creative expression is vital for young people, and the unique magic that happens when creativity meets the classroom. Along the way, Emily shares stories from her own journey into performance, including how one life-changing Pocahontas swimming costume set her on the path to a creative life.

Listen Here
Watch Here

Episode 2

In this episode of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah sit down with Emily Robertson, Senior Associate Artist and Schools Development Co-ordinator at Highly Sprung. Conversation includes chats around the powerful connection between education and creativity, why creative expression is vital for young people, and the unique magic that happens when creativity meets the classroom. Along the way, Emily shares stories from her own journey into performance, including how one life-changing Pocahontas swimming costume set her on the path to a creative life.

Listen Here
Watch Here

Episode 3

In this episode of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah sit down with Emily Robertson, Senior Associate Artist and Schools Development Co-ordinator at Highly Sprung. Conversation includes chats around the powerful connection between education and creativity, why creative expression is vital for young people, and the unique magic that happens when creativity meets the classroom. Along the way, Emily shares stories from her own journey into performance, including how one life-changing Pocahontas swimming costume set her on the path to a creative life.

Listen Here
Watch Here

Episode 3

In this episode of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah sit down with Emily Robertson, Senior Associate Artist and Schools Development Co-ordinator at Highly Sprung. Conversation includes chats around the powerful connection between education and creativity, why creative expression is vital for young people, and the unique magic that happens when creativity meets the classroom. Along the way, Emily shares stories from her own journey into performance, including how one life-changing Pocahontas swimming costume set her on the path to a creative life.

Listen Here
Watch Here

Episode 4

In Episode 4 of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah catch up with Niall to talk all things drag, creativity and self-expression. Niall shares how creativity has shaped his life, from his early days performing with Highly Sprung’s youth group, Sprung Youth, to unforgettable moments on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7. Together, they chat about drag as a powerful art form, a tool for change, and a space for joy and authenticity. It’s a warm, funny and inspiring conversation that celebrates the freedom creativity brings, and the confidence to be unapologetically yourself.

Listen Here
Watch Here

Episode 4

In Episode 4 of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah catch up with Niall to talk all things drag, creativity and self-expression. Niall shares how creativity has shaped his life, from his early days performing with Highly Sprung’s youth group, Sprung Youth, to unforgettable moments on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7. Together, they chat about drag as a powerful art form, a tool for change, and a space for joy and authenticity. It’s a warm, funny and inspiring conversation that celebrates the freedom creativity brings, and the confidence to be unapologetically yourself.

Listen Here
Watch Here

Episode 5

In Episode 5 of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah catch up with graduate theatre company Blank Slate, a fresh new company stepping boldly into the creative sector. Together, they dive into how creativity shapes their lives, what it means to turn creativity into a career, and how to nurture imagination in the midst of chaos. It’s a lively, laughter-filled conversation featuring some spontaneous beatboxing, wild impressions, and plenty of insight from a new generation of theatre-makers finding their voice. An inspiring listen for anyone starting their own creative journey or just trying to keep their creative spark alive.

Listen Here
Watch Here

Episode 5

In Episode 5 of Where’s the F-in Creativity?, Mark and Sarah catch up with graduate theatre company Blank Slate, a fresh new company stepping boldly into the creative sector. Together, they dive into how creativity shapes their lives, what it means to turn creativity into a career, and how to nurture imagination in the midst of chaos. It’s a lively, laughter-filled conversation featuring some spontaneous beatboxing, wild impressions, and plenty of insight from a new generation of theatre-makers finding their voice. An inspiring listen for anyone starting their own creative journey or just trying to keep their creative spark alive.

Listen Here
Watch Here
Our Commissions
Cart
Checkout - £0.00
  • 0
  • 1