Lighthouse is delighted to announce Tops Day Nurseries as sponsors of its early years Christmas Show, Little Robin Red Vest.
Based on the timeless Christmas classic by best-selling, award-winning author Jan Fearnley, the brand-new adaptation is aimed at children aged 2-6 and their families. Using original songs, puppetry and integrated Makaton language programme, it’s a heart-warming tale of friendship, generosity, and the joy of giving.
“We’re so pleased to work with Tops Day Nurseries in sponsoring this charming seasonal show,” says Sue Lloyd, Head of Development and Partnerships.
“This is the latest example of how, in partnership with the region’s leading multi-venue arts organisation, local businesses are realising that Lighthouse is uniquely placed to help them achieve their commercial objectives.”
Set one frosty evening, a week before Christmas, Little Robin washes and irons seven warm vests for the chilly nights to come. As the days go by, he comes across lots of cold and shivering animals and kindly gives them his vests to wear. But by Christmas Eve, Little Robin is cold and alone with no vests left. That is, until a mysterious friend arrives to reward his kindness with a perfect little red vest.
“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Lighthouse and create the opportunity for our children to visit regularly and explore high-quality cultural experiences,” says Sophie Johnson, Tops’ Quality & Audit Director.
“From this term, groups of our children will be able to experience a theatre visit each term, beginning with the magical Christmas show that Tops are proudly sponsoring. These rich opportunities directly support child development, offering meaningful real-world experiences that spark communication and language, deepen understanding of the world, and nurture personal, social, and emotional development. By engaging with live performance, storytelling, music and movement, children are able to build confidence, curiosity, and creativity which are some of the core elements of the Tops Curriculum and essential foundations for lifelong learning.”
Building relationships with local businesses is vital to the long-term sustainability of Lighthouse and support from local businesses is already helping fund artist development and community outreach projects as well as training the next generation of creative industry professionals at Lighthouse.
Sue adds: “As well as maintaining our world-class venue, with the help of the business community, we can do so much more, from continuing to grow our partner schools programme and taking outreach projects into our communities, to extending our range of access projects, and supporting upcoming artists to develop their work.”