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The Maltings (Berwick) Trust is delighted to announce three artists who have been offered studio bursaries at Berwick Barracks including a bursary in partnership with Berwick Open Studios.

The bursaries which are available for artists based in North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders offer the use of a studio for one month, support towards the cost of materials and mentoring opportunities. The bursary in partnership with Berwick Open Studios enables an artist who may not be able to participate in the event due to not having a studio the opportunity to do so.

The artist’s awarded bursaries are –

Artist Julia Sweryda’s practice explores ocean botanicals and its impact on wellbeing and will use the studio to enable her to participate in Berwick Open Studios and develop new creative ideas.

Recently relocated to Berwick from Scotland, artist Sophie Morrish, will use the bursary to support the development of a new series of large scale works on paper and canvas.

Interdisciplinary artist, educator and researcher Sinéad Kempley will use the bursary to support her practice through the transition from PhD research into producing a series small scale works, that can be submitted for group exhibitions.  

James Lowther, Head of Visual Arts for the Maltings (Berwick) Trust said; “Time and space in a dedicated studio can be crucial to an artist’s development, and we are delighted to support these locally based artists at critical points in their artistic practice”

Julia Sweryda will undertake her bursary in September with her studio open during Berwick Open Studios on the 26-27 September and 3-4 October. Sophie Morrish and Sinéad Kempley will undertake their bursaries in early 2027.

Berwick Music Society’s 2026/27 season launches this Autumn with a performance by internationally renowned  Zvarder Trio at Berwick Parish Church on Saturday 3 October 2026, 14:00 - 16:00. Tickets are £15 on the door or via the BMS website.

Five further concerts will feature stunning viola, piano, cello, flute and oboe performances from internationally acclaimed musicians including 2022 BBC Young Musician of the Year finalist pianist Ethan Loch, French oboist, priest and academic David Gilbert and Scottish-born ‘Rising Star’ flautist Cliodhna Scott. The dates and timings of the programme, which all take on Saturday afternoons at Berwick Parish Church, are as follows:     

• Sat 3 Oct 2026, 14:00 - 16:00
  Zvarder Trio, (Violin, Cello and Piano) £15   
• Sat 28 Nov 2026, 14:00- 15:00
  Scott Slapin, (Solo Viola),  £10
• Sat 23 Jan 2027, 14:00 -15:00
  Alexandra Mackenzie & Ingrid Sawers, 
  (Cello and Piano) £15
• Sat 13 Feb 2027, 14:00 - 16:00
  Ethan Loch, (Piano) £15
• Sat 13 March 2027, 14:00 - 15:00
  Cliodhna Scott, (Flute, accompanied by pianist Julie Wilson) £10 
• Sat 17 April 2027, 14:00 - 15:00
  David Gilbert, (Oboe, accompanied by pianist Harris Playfair) £10

A £50 season ticket saves £25 whilst Under 18s have free admission. Music lovers who find the £10/15 ticket price prohibitive can email:
info@berwickmusic.org in complete confidence.

The Berwick based comedy group – Damp Knight Comedy, known for their very silly, surreal improvised comedy, are looking to re-invigorate the comedy scene in Berwick and the surrounding area. When they first started (11 years ago now) they did so at the Laughing Bear Comedy Club, a monthly comedy night than ran for a while at The Maltings Theatre. But now, with nothing specifically comedic happening in town, they want to create some laughs and even some learning for whoever was interested.
So, with the help of Little Robot CIC (littelrobotcic.com) based in Newcastle, they have created the Berwick Comedy Club where they will slowly start to build some comedy evenings in town, bringing some new and also known comedians that will hopefully lead on to bigger and better things.
They will have one or two core venues where they will host regular comedy nights but they also want Berwick Comedy Club to be available to any venue that would be interested – the plan is to be able to tailor comedy nights to best fit the size, capacity and financial capability of the venues who want them.
As well as setting up comedy nights, there will also be comedy workshops on offer from simple stagecraft to standup, comedy/joke writing, improv and more, with these leading onto performing in the shows as well.
To find out more as they progress, keep an eye out on the Berwick Comedy Club, Damp Knight Comedy and Little Robot social media or to get in touch you can also email - berwickcomedyclub@gmail.com.

A year of creativity, collaboration and community will leave a lasting legacy in Berwick-upon-Tweed this week, as the town's Quayside Huts are transformed through a unique partnership between artist Martha Ellis, Berwick Academy and Berwick Town Council.

The vibrant redesign marks the culmination of Martha Ellis' year-long residency with Berwick Academy, where students have explored her distinctive artistic practice through workshops, creative projects and collaborative learning. Now, the techniques and creative confidence they have developed over the past year will move beyond the classroom and into the heart of the town. Working alongside Martha, students have helped create new distinctive designs for the Quayside Huts, giving the much-loved retail units a fresh identity that celebrates creativity, Berwick and its community. The transformation not only revitalises a key part of Berwick's riverside but also creates a lasting public artwork that will be enjoyed by residents and visitors for years to come.

The transformation of the Quayside Huts builds on the success of the students' end-of-residency exhibition, which celebrated the creativity and skills they developed throughout the year working with Martha Ellis. While the exhibition marked the culmination of their learning journey, the Quayside Huts project ensures the residency's impact extends far beyond the gallery, leaving a permanent creative legacy at the heart of Berwick. It is a lasting reminder of what can be achieved when young people are given the opportunity to shape the places where they live, creating something that will be seen and enjoyed by residents and visitors for years to come.

The Quayside Huts play an important role in supporting Berwick's independent businesses, providing space for local makers, artists and retailers. Their new appearance creates a more vibrant and welcoming destination, helping to celebrate the creativity that exists across the town while enhancing one of Berwick's most visited waterfront locations.

Martha Ellis said: "Working with the students over the past year has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Watching them develop confidence in their creativity and seeing their ideas become part of the town's landscape is a wonderful way to conclude the residency. I hope the huts become something the whole community feels proud of."

The project has been delivered in partnership with Berwick Town Council, whose support has enabled the students' creativity to become a permanent feature of the town.

Cllr Jane Turton, Mayor of Berwick said: "The Quayside Huts are an important part of Berwick's waterfront, supporting local businesses and welcoming visitors throughout the year. This collaboration has given them a new lease of life while celebrating the creativity of our young people. It's a fantastic example of what can be achieved when schools, artists and local organisations work together."

The residency forms part of a wider commitment to connecting young people with high-quality creative opportunities and ensuring that art plays an active role within the community. By bringing together education, public space and local enterprise, the Quayside Huts project demonstrates how creativity can strengthen both place and community.

The newly transformed Quayside Huts will be unveiled this week, offering a colourful new backdrop for Berwick's independent businesses and a lasting reminder of the creativity, collaboration and ambition of the town's young people.

The annual challenge has previously attracted entries from across the world, including Australia, the USA, Greece, Hong Kong, South Africa and Iran. All manner of subjects are welcome,  humorous, moving, historical, science fiction, poetic, mysterious. Submissions are open to everyone, and we welcome entries from all faiths, cultures, genders and races. The judges are looking for a Tale ‘such as Wilson may have published’.  

For the second year in 2026 there is a category for children and school age entries, enabling those to be judged separately from those of established writers.  Project Director, Andrew Ayre, explains: “The volume and quality of entries is getting higher every year, and after many years of providing local schools with an opportunity for young people to be published in our print volumes, we decided it was time to provide another, opportunity that is simple to enter, and provides a creative challenge to young writers.

“In fact, last year the winner of our school age category was based in Hong Kong. We are delighted to see just how far and wide the appeal of Wilson’s Tales is reaching.”

The competition was devised by members of the Wilson’s Tales of the Borders Project, and the winner will be announced later in the year. 

Authors and writers are invited to submit a complete Tale in exactly 100 words. A Tale that might have been published in ‘Wilson’s Tales of the Borders’ in the nineteenth century, but brought up to date. Crofters and inhabitants of the Borders bought the eponymous broadsheets to read as moral entertainment around the fireside of a Sunday evening, and enjoyed Tales that spanned the globe, keeping them enthralled and wanting more.  Circulation grew across the country and the world, outselling the stories of Sir Walter Scott.  So much for a mere three ha’pence. 

Commenting on the entries, Andrew Ayre praised the high standard of entries in 2025, saying: “We are consistently amazed by the variety of entries we receive, and the ever higher standards of these tiny Tales. Some entries are so richly layered that we now print an assortment of Tales on the menu of our annual memorial dinner to let guests appreciate the richness of a a giant story all happening in the readers own head from a mere 100 words.  

“Human experiences described with poignant and lyrical qualities which still leaves room for the reader to create their own interpretation. We are looking forward to this year’s competition being even more successful.”