Circus Starr are excited to announce that they have successfully secured funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Thanks to their amazing contribution of over £200,000 Circus Starr are committed to providing Changing Places facilities at each of their Big Top sites for the next five years.

It was in the Autumn of 2018 that we became the first Circus to ever provide Changing Places Facilities.

Having these additional provisions on site provided peace of mind and dignity for many of our disabled audience members, and we received an overwhelming response from families that used the specially adapted vehicle supplied by Mobiloo.

The project was originally a trial, but after spending a tour with a Changing Places toilet as part of our set up we knew there was no way of going back.

We decided to continue to provide this service at each of our Big Top sites. This meant that each show on our Spring and Autumn tour had a hoist, adult sized changing bench and a disabled toilet.

Having this extra facility on site made us a driving force for change in the arts, making our show accessible to more people than ever before.

The only problem that we could foresee was the cost!

As a not for profit organisation we always have to keep an eye on our spending. Our magical Big Top runs on the generous donations we receive every year from businesses, and we knew that this additional cost would have a dramatic impact on our budget.

With this in mind we applied for funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.

Our proposal was one of the biggest we have ever put forward, but we knew that what we were asking for was truly worth it!

When we got the call to say that the bid was successful we were over the moon.

Judith Halle, Trusts and Grants Fundraiser, completed the application and was overjoyed that we had secured funding.

“Being awarded this money was a great relief to us all. It will help us to continue to bring the arts to those who may usually feel excluded and that is what Circus Starr is all about.”

We can’t thank The National Lottery Community Fund enough for this phenomenal contribution.

Circus Starr look forward to helping more disabled children access the magical art of circus with this additional service.