Meet the Mad Hatters. The Mad Hatters Children’s Charity, that is. A Midlands charity dedicated to helping children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The brief? Interactive entertainment for a tea party to make 1000 children smile!

Well, if the circus can’t make you smile, then what can? We were delighted to be asked and set about creating the maddest and most engaging tea-party entertainment possible including performances that the children could watch and take part in.

The team were so pleased, they invited us back 3 more times! Working with the children supported by Mad Hatters (and seeing their reaction to the circus) inspired us to reach more disabled children. So, in 2018, we joined forces with the charity and applied for Arts Council funding to pilot a project in four Birmingham schools.

The bid was successful and our schools circus training project was born. We worked with groups of between 10 and 20 young people, teaching them circus skills for a whole week. The training climaxed with a 30 minute performance to fellow students and members of the local community.

The team at Mad Hatters were delighted to have made such a difference to so many children’s lives:

“It’s been such an amazing experience. The schools have been really enthusiastic about the difference it’s made. Circus Mash have bought so much to it and have really made us think about what more we can achieve.” Gary Roskell, Development Director, Mad Hatter’s Children’s Charity

The schools involved were amazed at what the children were able to achieve:

“Some of the pupils in my class would normally struggle with working in a team and they’ve really come out of their shell and shown they can work together.” Teacher, Victoria School.

And the children were thrilled to learn skills they had never dreamt would be possible.

“I felt happy because I was showing my skills off!” Pupil

This was a successful project in so many ways and something we are incredibly proud to
have been part of:

“The whole week is a totally immersive experience. It takes children out of their structured school life so it showcases problem solving skills that may have been hidden before. The confidence and team work it brings is fantastic; by the end of the week, they are a cast putting on a show!” Halo Garrity, CircusMASH Aerial Trainer