Showtime Circus operating out of the Old Methodist Church in Bournville would bring about a huge sense of community and open opportunities for children of all ages.
Showtime Circus - HQ, Bournville
About Us
​Showtime Circus is dedicated to bringing joy, wonder, and a sense of community through the magic of circus arts. Our activities include general circus classes for children after school and those who are home educated aged 3-16 as well as stay and play for those aged 0-3, a government funded BTEC course for those aged 16-18 as well as adult classes too. By repurposing the old Methodist Church, we envision creating a unique and welcoming space where residents of Bournville and beyond can come together to experience the magic of the circus.
Showtime Circus is a circus school franchise with 14 centres internationally as of Dec 2023. We started franchising in March 2023 and so our expansion and growth as a franchise has been rapid.
With a proven successful business model, our presence in The Old Methodist Church would not just be about entertaining and educating children; but fostering community spirit. The space will be available for community events, providing a hub for cultural and recreational activities that enhance the local quality of life.
With the majority of our franchisees running their classes from community centres, schools or hired spaces, some of our locations have a full time venue. The Old Methodist church would serve as our Headquarters and be the location where our franchise training takes place (around 3 times per year.) This training is CPD accredited and is only given to those who then start their franchising journey with us, this runs 9-5pm for 3 days.
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We recognize the historical significance of the old Methodist Church and are committed to preserving its heritage. Our proposal includes plans to carefully integrate the circus activities while respecting and maintaining the architectural integrity of the building. We see this as an opportunity to enhance the church's legacy by ensuring it remains a vibrant part of Bournville's story.
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Beyond cultural and community benefits, our proposal also has economic advantages. The repurposing of the old Methodist Church will create local job opportunities, both in terms of staffing the facility and supporting local businesses. We believe this change of use aligns with Bournville's growth and economic development goals.
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In our commitment to sustainability, we plan to implement environmentally friendly practices in the operation of the space. From energy-efficient lighting to waste reduction initiatives, we aim to make a positive impact on both the local community and the environment.
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We have already conducted outreach within the community to gauge support for our proposal, and have, in fact, already ran 3 fully booked and highly successful holiday camps out of Rowheath Pavillion.
As proof of our business model, we charged these children £40 per day. We had 30 children attend our holiday camp, total revenue was £1200. We had to pay for 2 teachers at £150 per day and one assistant at £100 per day and the venue £200 for the day too. Our total profit was £600 for our one day holiday camp. We are confident that with the right base and ability to run this for all 5 days of the holiday camp, we could replicate this and make over £3000 profit for a one week camp, enabling us to pay the rent easily per month. This would also result in 150 spaces being available for children to have fun at the circus over the holidays. Our camps are usually Ofsted registered, and this would be no different for those in the Old Methodist Church, meaning that we adhere to the governments strict safeguarding and childrens welfare policies, which are integral to our business. Those from a low income still have access to these camps, without the high amount of rent per day, this would enable some of wiggle room in revenue to be able to offer scholarships to those in a lower income family too. We believe that transforming the old Methodist Church into a Showtime Circus base aligns with the community's interests and desires.
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Showtime Circus is a Limited Company, and Showtime Circus Bournville would run as a franchise. The venue rent would be split between Showtime Circus Ltd and Showtime Circus (Bournville) Ltd, and there would be a studio manager and circus teacher employed to run all of the classes. Our BTEC would be ran by a course leader, who would be hired by our funding provider; SCL Creative directly. All of the BTEC teaching staff would be on contracts for SCL. Though we run as a Ltd company due to franchising, rather than a CIC, we very much are community focused and run at around 10% profit due to the rest of the funds being directed straight back into the business.
We can see this venue being a fantastic central hub for our franchise, and this, in turn would create lots of opportunities for local children to come and train in all things circus.
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Our children currently train to perform at huge events like Move it and CYD? and we are going to perform on the MainStage this year. We have previously performed at the Magic Circle, Benidorm Palace and at lost of local events including Pride events in all local cities that we have classes, festivals and community events. This would be no different in Bournville, where we have already made contact to provide our awesome circus workshops at local events.
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We hope that you, too, believe that we would be a fantastic fit for The Old Methodist Church, Bournville.
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Here is a video that shows a good example of another of our studios.
Here is a video that shows a good example of the rigging we would ideally have in Bournville.
AERIAL HOOP/SILKS
The beautiful art of forming shapes with your body, while suspended from height, either on a hoop, rope, or silks.
ACROBATICS
The performance of extraordinary human feats of balance, agility and motor co-ordination.
JUGGLING
An amazing skill which uses advanced hand-eye co-ordination.
It is scientifically proven that circus skills can greatly assist in the development of children’s brains, as well aiding in the growth in communication and social skills.