Devonshire Green was positively glowing on Sunday 27th July, and it wasn’t due to sunshine! The Sparkle Sistaz lit up the Tramlines Fringe stage with a fierce and fabulous  DJ set that was full of joy!

From the first beat of “Born This Way” to the final chorus of “Hot Hot Hot,” the Sistaz served up a summer soundtrack that spanned decades and genres, all with their signature sparkle. Whether you were an S Club 7 fan or a Madonna devotee, there was something for everyone—and every track came with a side of sass, smiles, and sensational moves.

This year’s performance wasn’t just a party—it was a celebration of growth, confidence, and pure star quality.

Notable moments that really demonstrated how hard the group have worked this year:

• Alice is clearly 'over' her fear of heights, and she danced onto that stage like she owned it—because she did. She was unstoppable. We’re still cheering!
• Kathryn, one of our most experienced DJs, didn’t just rock her own set—she ran the whole show. With Moony ready in the wings if needed, Kathryn took the reins and kept things flowing like a pro.
• And let’s talk about Billie and Beckz, our support staff who couldn’t resist busting out some moves themselves. Nice work ladies!

At Under the Stars, we believe in the power of creativity to uplift, empower, and connect. The Sparkle Sistaz don’t just play music, they make magic. They challenge expectations, celebrate individuality, and show the world what it means to be truly seen and heard for who you are.

We may not have had the Lord Mayor at our show this year, but the Fringe staff still made us feel like royalty. Their support, warmth, and enthusiasm reminded us why The Tramlines Fringe is one of our favourite places to shine.

To everyone who cheered, danced, and partied with us, thank you. The Sparkle Sistaz will be back, brighter than ever next year.

Want to see more of what we do? Visit our website and discover how we’re using the power of the performing arts to empower people with learning disabilities and autism. Because at Under the Stars, we believe everyone deserves their moment in the spotlight!

At Under the Stars, we empower our artists to express their ideas through music, drama, and dance. But even our most passionate and talented artists need a break. It was during one of these breaks that the Crochet Club first began.

In 2024, Sophia, a member of our all-female ensemble, the Sparkle Sistaz, brought along a project she was working on, marking the first stitch at Under the Stars.

Sophia had been learning to crochet with one of her support workers at home. When her support worker left, she had no one to teach her and really missed it. She mentioned this to Julia, one of our managers, who is also an avid crocheter. Julia suggested that if Sophia brought in her project, she’d give her some help during the Sparkle Sistaz lunch break.

The next Thursday, Julia brought her hooks and a big bag of yarn and spent lunchtime sitting with Sophia and the other interested members of the Sparkle Sistaz keen to have a go. Katie had done a bit of crochet already, and Kathryn was eager to try.

Before long, that single stitch had become a chain, and the Crochet Club became a regular Thursday lunchtime activity.

“Our Sparkle Sistaz are just so creative and imaginative that it’s not really a surprise they found a way to bring something extra to their time at Under the Stars,” Julia adds. “They even take their crochet to their other day services now!  It’s such a great way to be mindful and get a bit of peace on a busy day."

The club members have produced scarves, bags, granny squares, and blankets galore since they started learning.

“I’m working on finishing a bag,” says Sophia. “I’m just doing the handle now. I’ve made a bumblebee teddy before, but my sister stole it off me!” That her creations are so covetable speaks to how accomplished these crocheters have become over the space of 12 months.

“I’m making a baby blanket,” says Kathryn with a big smile. “My brother’s partner is having a baby soon, a little girl. And I’m also making a hat for my mum, to match the scarf I made for her last year.”

This is a brilliant side effect of being part of a creative community. The Sparkle Sistaz have always been a colourful bunch of characters, but they get more colourful every week with their beautiful crochet creations.

Under the Stars is certainly not known for its yarncraft, but the Crochet Club has really added value to our artists experience at Under the Stars.

Casting a nostalgic eye over the past year, it’s been interesting to see if people remembered the same events in the same way. Take Dave from Aspire Community Enterprise and our CEO Ruth Parrott.

Dave: ‘When I first contacted Ruth about Under the Stars being nominated as our Charity of the Year, she said “no thanks, we only use Macs.”’

Ruth: ‘When Aspire rang me to say we’d been nominated to be their Charity of the Year I said, “no thanks, we only use Macs.”’

How lovely that they both have the same memory of the call! Despite this rocky start, our relationship with Aspire has gone on to be a bit of a love affair, and Dave can laugh about the unsettled beginning now.

‘I just think Ruth thought we were trying to give her old bits of IT hardware, which we absolutely were not,’ he says.

In fact, Aspire’s support has helped our Music workshop staff and participants realise a long-held ambition…

But let’s rewind, back to the start for Aspire. They started out in 2001, with a mission that remains just as strong today:

“..we firmly believe in the power of community and the collective impact we can make when we come together to support one another. Through our initiatives aimed at reducing waste and helping individuals thrive, we strive to be a beacon of hope and opportunity in the local community. By fostering a culture of inclusivity, empowerment, and sustainability, we aim to create a brighter future for all. Aspire Community Enterprise (Sheffield) Ltd remains steadfast in our commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others while championing environmental stewardship and social responsibility.”

So, it’s not all about computers then?

‘No, it’s all about people, and opportunities,’ says Dave. Aspire’s workforce truly reflects its ethos. Many people who are involved wouldn’t find it easy to access traditional employment, but with Aspire they build vital 21^st century skills as well as boost their confidence.

‘We used to get lots of requests for help from different charities and community groups from all over the country. And it took a long time to sift through all the requests and work out the genuine need. So, a couple of years ago one of our Trustees suggested that a more effective way of making sure we helped groups whose work fitted with our mission would be to choose a Charity of the Year.’

The first organisation was Ben’s Centre, a Sheffield based charity that aims to provide a safe space and an open hand to those who are disadvantaged through substance misuse and its associated barriers. As their year came to an end, they were asked to nominate another local charity and chose Under the Stars.

‘It made perfect sense, and I’m surprised we hadn’t thought of Under the Stars before. A couple of people who come and gain skills here are also involved with Under the Stars workshops, so we already knew of the great work going on.’

To give even more context to Ruth’s initial rejection, Under the Stars often receive phone calls from people offering old bits of sub-standard musical equipment, or ‘the monthly organ’ as Ruth calls it, and some people don’t understand when we have to reject their kind donations.

‘We don’t have lots of space to keep spare instruments and kit, so sometimes even brilliant stuff might get turned down. We’re also insistent that our participants get access to industry standard equipment, not just making do, she clarified.

It explains though, the certainty with which her first ‘no’ was delivered to Dave. But with a little bit more talking, Ruth quickly realised that what Aspire was offering was much more meaningful and impactful for Under the Stars as an organisation.

‘We’ve just revamped the offices and taken on a new member of staff, so having Aspire help us get a computer, monitors etc has been brilliant, as that eats up our limited core budget,’ said Ruth.

The biggest opportunity for Under the Stars, however, was being able to work with Dave and his team to get a bespoke computer that could deliver incredible images. And this is something that has been on the Music Workshop wishlist for a long time.

‘Graphics cards of the specification we need to make high quality interactive visuals are not cheap,’ said Jono Richards, one of our Music Workshop Leaders.

‘Having something this powerful means we can integrate sound and visuals, and our participants can produce fantastic images on screen that we can use at events.’ And without the expertise and generosity of Aspire, this just would not be possible.  

And now our year as the beneficiary of expertise and equipment is over, and we have nothing but huge thanks to give to Aspire. The new charity beneficiary for 2025 is Reyt Repair, who do a fantastic job of breathing new life into items destined for the scrapheap, with an aim to ‘reduce waste, save money and bring people together’.

We wish them as successful and rewarding a year as we’ve had. And next time someone offers us the chance to be their Charity of the Year, we will definitely be saying YES!

Back in 2022, after a long and stressful lockdown for many of our learners and staff, Under the Stars nightclub was finally ready to welcome our community back to the dancefloor at The Leadmill. We were so joyous about it that we shouted our return loudly, and people listened! Look North came to film our opening night, and aired the footage on TV the next evening. It was such a positive news story that BBC Breakfast picked it up.

Watching us on that BBC Breakfast show were some staff members from AlphaTheta, the company that owns Pioneer DJ, Rekordbox, and more. They immediately noticed that our DJs were using their innovative DJ products in our workshops and at club nights, and they were very impressed. So impressed, in fact, that they contacted our CEO Ruth and asked if they could come and see us—and their equipment—in action.

AlphaTheta brands their work under the ‘One Through Music’ banner, aiming “to enhance the creative potential of music and enable a world filled with joy.” This aligns brilliantly with our own ethos, so we invited them to one of our club nights at The Leadmill. Anita, head of Legal, and some of her team made the trip North and were blown away by what they saw and heard.

Fast forward to summer 2024, when the AlphaTheta team extended an invitation for a reciprocal visit to their HQ in London. We weren’t going to turn down that opportunity! So on Tuesday, 1st October, six learners and six staff members from Under the Stars headed off for a day of pure DJ indulgence. Here’s what some of our DJs had to say:

Arshad: “It was great. The people were nice and caring. They took us around on a tour. The food was nice, the people were great. We got a cup of tea when we got there. There were lots of studios; we had lunch, then we did stuff on the decks. Goody bags as well—reyt good t-shirts, headphones, notebook, everything. It was absolutely wicked.”

Julia: “Taking our group of six DJs to the AlphaTheta HQ was a treat from start to finish. They worked so hard to give us a memorable day. Nothing was too much trouble, and they made us feel like stars! My highlight was seeing the polaroid of ‘DJ Shaq’ pinned up next to Carl Cox on the AlphaTheta Wall of Fame—exactly where he belongs!”

Anita from AlphaTheta sent this message following our visit: “We thoroughly enjoyed the day, and it’s one we will remember. You are an amazing team with amazing people, and what you do means so very much. You genuinely improve lives and are a true inspiration.”

It goes without saying that we loved visiting the Alphatheta studio. Here’s hoping there will be other opportunities to partner with such a great company in the future!