About us
We are a Liverpool-based charity using the transformative power of the arts to change lives.
Every week, we offer free, inclusive opportunities in theatre, dance, music, art, theatre technology and film — open to children, young people, adults and families across our community. Our doors are open to everyone, and our programmes are designed with those who need them most firmly in mind. We also provide a detached youth music service.
Trusted and Supported
Our work is recognised and funded by some of the most respected organisations in the country, including Liverpool City Council, The National Lottery Community Fund, Public Health Liverpool, Merseyside Police, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, PH Holt, Children In Need, The Home office and Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group. Their support is a reflection of the quality, integrity and effectiveness of everything we do.
Our practice is bespoke, evidence-based and built around the people we serve. Because great art changes lives — and everyone deserves access to it.
Our Team
Behind everything we do is a dedicated multi-disciplinary team of 12 Trustees, 10 Volunteers, and a growing bank of freelance Arts Practitioners and Youth Support Workers — all united by a shared belief in the power of the arts to transform lives.
Martin Ball — Charity Director & Music Practitioner
Martin brings over 25 years of experience in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, including 19 years as Director of Valley Community Theatre. Throughout his career he has specialised in working with young people who are hardest to reach and adults with disabilities.
A professional music producer, Martin has run his own Liverpool studio, worked at the legendary Clear Lake Studios in Los Angeles, and performed internationally as a session musician with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and The Real People. He is also a qualified NVQ Tutor and Assessor in Music Recording and Production.
His rare combination of industry credibility, educational expertise and community leadership makes him uniquely placed to lead our organisation.
Tara Gallagher — Development Director & Therapeutic Youth Support Worker
Tara has over 30 years of frontline experience working with young people, bringing together clinical expertise, holistic therapeutic practice and arts-based youth work in a way that is truly distinctive.
Her career has spanned Barnardo's young carers and HIV support projects, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy delivery within HM Prison Liverpool's Psychology Department — where she led on suicide and self-harm prevention and contributed to national research — detached youth diversionary arts work and Theatre in Education with St. Helens Council, holistic wellbeing practice across Liverpool and Manchester, and lecturing in Counselling Skills at St. Helens College.
Holding a BSc (Hons) in Psychology with Community Studies and a range of therapeutic qualifications, Tara's whole-person approach to wellbeing is woven into everything our organisation does.
Our Impact
The results speak for themselves. Through our work, vulnerable young people are safer. Communities are healthier and better connected. Confidence grows. Isolation reduces. And more people — of all ages — find their way into positive pathways, whether that's education, employment, or a lifelong love of the arts.
We don't work in isolation. We take a joined-up, whole-community approach — collaborating with local councillors, neighbourhood officers, Merseyside Police, the fire service, social housing providers, local businesses and residents to make sure our support reaches the people who need it most and creates lasting change at a community level.
Martin Ball from Valley Community Theatre talks about his experience of supporting NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group with engagement activities.
What We Do
We believe the arts are one of the most powerful tools we have for tackling disadvantage. Our work addresses the root causes of inequality head on — reducing economic and health disparities, breaking cycles of social isolation, increasing the safety of vulnerable young people, and strengthening the voluntary and community sector that so many people depend on.
Our activities are free, flexible and genuinely inclusive. We work with a wide range of people including young people not in education, employment or training (NEET); those at risk of criminal exploitation or anti-social behaviour; children and young people with unmet SEND; people living with disabilities; those experiencing poor mental or physical health; young carers; LGBTQ+ people; older people; women and girls; and care-experienced people. We welcome everyone from age 8 upwards — young people, adults and whole families.
Nurturing equality of opportunity through community arts engagement since 1994.
A Community Hub Where the Arts Change Lives
We believe that creativity has the power to transform lives — and that everyone deserves access to it, regardless of their background or circumstances.
At the heart of our community, we provide a welcoming space where young people, adults and families can come together through the arts. Our work is about more than activities — it's about improving wellbeing, building confidence, reducing isolation, and opening doors for those who need it most. Everything we offer is completely free to participants.
Supporting our community to thrive:
Through high quality arts and personal development programmes, we support our community to thrive. This year our members have:
Performed live theatre and music performances
Recorded original music in our professional recording studios and stone vocal booth
Danced, created and rehearsed in our purpose-built studios
Made art, props and scenery for live productions
Explored creative writing, film and theatre tech
Taken part in our detached youth music service, bringing music directly into the community.
Supporting Our Work
Valley is a fully equipped, professional arts venue in the heart of Liverpool — and hiring our spaces is one of the ways you can directly support the free community activities we provide.
Our building is home to a professional auditorium, recording studio, film editing stations, dance studios and office space — making us the ideal venue for touring theatre companies, festivals, rehearsals, gigs, audio recording, film shoots, conferences and more. We are proud to welcome both local and national productions, bringing high-quality theatre and performance to the doorstep of our community.
As a registered charity, every pound raised through venue hire and our café goes directly back into funding free arts activities for the people of Liverpool. When you hire a space at Valley, you're not just getting a great venue — you're helping to keep arts accessible for everyone.
The Difference We Make
Our programmes are designed to have a lasting, positive impact — improving physical and mental health, building new skills, creating volunteering opportunities, and ensuring that no one in our community is left behind.
We are proud to offer genuine equality of opportunity through the arts, for anyone who needs us.
“Life enriching and innovative to the core, this is without doubt, a great place to create! Experiencing the progression of our beneficiaries, volunteers and staff serve as a constant reminder of the purpose of this organisation and how vital a resource this is for the community.”
— Martin Ball, Director