Community groups are invited to get involved with Chester’s £37m Storyhouse cultural centre which will combine a theatre, library and cinema when it opens on Thursday, May 11.

Storyhouse will present a year-round programme of theatre, music, literature, dance, art and film.

But the team behind the project want the community to be at the heart of the centre.

Organisations and individuals are invited to use spaces in the brand new venue to organise activities for the wider community.

Alex Clifton, artistic director, Storyhouse
Alex Clifton, artistic director, Storyhouse

Alex Clifton, artistic director, Storyhouse, said: “Our intention is to fill Storyhouse with activities run by the community for the community. The Storyhouse community programme is an opportunity for a range of people to share their passions, skills and expertise with others – building new communities and strengthening existing communities.”

Storyhouse is the largest public building ever in Chester, with more than 7,500 square metres of public space, across four floors. It accommodates a library, cinema, theatres, restaurant and bars plus a series of accessible rooms complete with a range of resources.

Video Loading

Alex continued: “Our aim is for the entire building to be brought to life by the local community; to be used by groups and individuals to meet, connect, share, learn, play and create. We wish to create an open, democratic and inclusive space in which people can come together to discuss fundamental social questions of our time such as who are we and how shall we live?”

Storyhouse is looking for activities that:

■ Are open and welcoming to people of all backgrounds

■ Free or very low cost

■ Aim to strengthen an existing community or create a new one

■ Promote and inspire creativity

■ Can be a one-off or regular slot

■ Take place in Storyhouse anytime during the seven day week from 8am to 10pm

The Chester HQ of MBNA (Bank of America)

Principal sponsor of Storyhouse, MBNA, is committed to helping local people get the most out of the inspirational spaces available to them. Employees at the credit card provider’s Chester head office have been involved from the outset and are now ramping up their activities including participating in test events, in the library handover and through the building’s unique ‘innovation wall’.

Mark Elliott, director of corporate affairs at MBNA, said: “People are at the heart of what we do at MBNA. We want to make good stuff happen for the community around us. So we’re hugely proud to be able to support this incredible new cultural investment for the region.”

Interested groups or individuals should click on this link to find out more and complete the online application form. People should apply by the end of April 2017, for their activity to take place in June-July.

For further details, visit the storyhouse website or contact Nicola Haigh on 01244 409 113 or by emailing: nicola@storyhouse.com