The Sandbach u3a Circus Group welcomes new members. This is our 8th year as a group and we have had such fun. We are a group of 'have-a-go' enthusiasts with a wide range of interests and different levels of experience with circus skills. We do manipulation of objects which includes learning to juggle and learning to balance objects. We always start off with easier activities such as balancing feathers on our hands and feet and with patience and persistence we improve and move on to do things that challenge us a bit more. Quite a few members of the group can now demonstrate good skills in juggling, diablo, hula-hoops and the like. We also do balancing activities such as walking on a balance beam, a tight wire and walking on stilts.

We sometimes visit a professional circus training space in Manchester to have tailored coaching in wire walking and trapeze. We also have a visiting teacher from Barnton Circus who brings a travelling aerial rig to our venue for lessons in trapeze and silks. We often meet up in holiday times for social catch-up sessions over drinks and/or food. We also have trips to see profession shows such as Gandeys and Giffords Circus. For a couple of years now we have been running 'Have A Go Circus" sessions for events such as the Sandbach Town Festival, Sandbach Pride and Nantwich Pride and some local school fund raising days. We have also presented circus taster sessions to other local u3a's in the Manchester area.

Doing community events is very much a voluntary thing - but we have enough skilled people now to offer local event planners a bit of circus fun. We also have links to a local circus festival held every year in Marbury Country Park near Northwich. This festival is held around the date of World Juggling Day which is June 15th and is called Slackfest. Why the name Slackfest? There is a story too long to relate here!. At festivals we have provided a Have A Go Circus Skills Area for over 55's. Actually, we've usually had lots of children with their grandparents  who want to play. It is a joyful surprise to people that we do the things we do well enough to teach others. Someone always asks if we do trapeze and the answer is - yes, sometimes we do!

Our tutor is Peter Duncan who is a professional trainer in the world of circus and well known across circus schools in Britain and Europe for his in-service teacher training courses.He is one of a handful of accredited trainers who has worked with Cirque du Soleil on methods of teaching circus. Peter and a friend founded a circus called Circus Eruption in the 1980's and this circus is still providing classes for communities in Swansea. He is currently a board member of Circusworks the national youth circus network organisation for the UK. Our Group Leader is Sharon Ginnis a drama and theatre specialist and a keen hula-hooper.

So if you fancy doing: juggling - balls, rings, clubs, hula-hooping, cigar boxes, diabolos, flower sticks, balancing  - yourself and objects - come and join us and find out what you can do.

We meet at Sandbach Health and Fitness Studio, Sandbach Rugby Union Football Club, Bradwall Road, Sandbach, CW11 1RA 

Our regular meeting day and times are Mondays from 14.00 to 15.30