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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Ideas Test

Working with Medway and Swale through creative and collaborative activities.

19/06/2026

When the Circus came to town for Luton Lights 2026 🤡🎪🤹

The theme for this year’s rendition of our family-friendly light festival was chosen by the Luton community themselves, setting the stage not only for a night of carnivalesque clownery, but also steering us towards an engagement with the wider Medway area’s rich & deep circus heritage (yes there is such a thing– stop laughing)!

The full Circus programme included two guided night time walks, animation and visual arts workshops at local primary schools, and glow art making workshops lead by Xtina Lamb producing artworks then displayed by Luton Road residents in their street facing windows, creating a glowing road and a proper night-time spectacle.

Our Luton Lights ‘26: Finalé event, hosted once again at the Invicta Social Club, featured a mixture of live music plus circus performances and workshops, from

New York Brass Band , who also marched the Luton high street area

Juggler & circus instructor, Matt Barnard

Hula hooper and circus school graduate, Ellen James

Medway Mystic, Mel the Magnificent

Circus tent projections by inter-disciplinary artist Hannah Whittaker

10/06/2026

Sharing on behalf of our friends at The Intra Community Trust: IntraFest

From Music Halls to Medway Sounds, IntraFest is a celebration of the unsung backbone of Medway’s fringe culture and heritage.

For absolutely FREE, on 13th June you can come and experience a totally packed day of live music, street food, family entertainment, creative arts, and live theatre.

During the day, Street Food and Bars with Craft Beers and Hand-Crafted Cocktails by , , , , and .

At an arts market featuring local makers and creatives, with unforgettable Barge Trips launching off the Ship Pier from

Across our Main Stage at Gray’s Car Park and our second stage at & we’ll be hosting huge performances from legends of the Medway music scene, including:

• The Solarflares
• Lupen Crook ( )
• The Singing Loins ( )
• The Zac Schulze Gang ( )
• Theatre Royal ( )

With many more live acts to be announced!

In the evening we’ll have indoor entertainment from Intra’s live music venues: .live , , The Ship Rochester and

It’s set to be a fantastic day out for parents, children, and friends, old & new across the Medway towns.

A special thank you to the Gray family, and Michael from Intra Develoments for supporting this event.

IntraFest is has been supported using public funding by Arts Council England, The Architectural Heritage Fund, and Medway Council.

Find out more

03/06/2026

An update from our Board of Trustees.

As his term comes to an end, we would like to sincerely thank Jatin Patel for his leadership, time, and commitment during his six-year term as Chair.

We are delighted to announce that Virginie Giles has stepped into the role of Chair. Virginie previously served on our Consortium and joined the Board in October 2023. She brings a wealth of experience and insight to the role.

Please join us in thanking Jatin for his valuable contribution and welcoming Virginie to her new role.

01/06/2026

Not long to go! 🚂

Join Ideas Test, Sittingbourne Steam Railway, and Writer-in-Residence Dan Thompson for a fantastic family fun day at the railway!

Celebrate the finale of Dan’s residency with a special event showcasing the work he’s created over the past year. Explore an exhibition of his writing, enjoy a poem brought to life on a train journey, try out creative writing prompts, and connect with fellow writers and railway enthusiasts.

📅 Sunday, 14th June 2026 | 1pm - 5 pm
📍 Sittingbourne Steam Railway, Sittingbourne Retail Park, The Wall, Sittingbourne ME10 2XD
🎟️ No booking required, just drop in.

You’ll also get the chance to experience this unique historic line, originally built in 1905 to transport raw materials for paper production and the finished goods.

29/05/2026

Our swashbucklin’ start to 2025: Luton Lights! 🏴‍☠️🔦⚓🔦🦜

Having delivered our third iteration of ‘Luton Lights’ in 2026, we thought we'd cast our minds back to the seafaring themed 2025 rendition of what is fast becoming an Ideas Test staple event.

For the unsavvy, 'Luton Lights' is Luton Road's very own magical, family-friendly light festival celebrating creativity, community, and wonder! An invitation to come together during a time of year when the days grow shorter, and the nights get colder, bringing back light and laughter into the heart of the neighbourhood.

The full piratey programme for last year's Luton Lights ‘25 included guided night time walks and 4 free creative workshops. Topped off by the fabulous Finalé which boasted amazing things to do and see, including:

Live performances from Sparks, Rosie Bartley, Spotlites , Ben Watson and Cybersaur Arts

Arts & crafts workshops from Historic Dockyard Chatham and Xtina Lamb

A VR Headset experience from Electric Medway

An original Augmented Reality experience made just for the event called ‘Tales From the Deep’ by Wards Animations

Art and decorations created with the Luton community.

Luton Lights ‘25 was a product of the local community, Medway & Kent based artists, and organisations which fostered well-being by encouraging belonging, connection, and ownership through active participation!

Read our full project roundup on the Ideas Test website 👉

https://ideastest.org.uk/projects/previous-projects/luton-lights-2025/

28/05/2026

Got a story to tell or a dream to share? 💭

This June at the Festival of Sheppey, the Teatro Vivo Usherettes will be out and about during festival events, collecting local stories, ideas and inspiration to help create a new play celebrating life on Sheppey. If you see them around, please come and say hello 👋

📅 June 6 | June 13 | June 20, 2026
⏰ 10am - 7pm | 10am - 5pm | 10am - 7pm
📍 Leysdown/East Church High Street
🎟️ FREE - Just drop by!

This event is produced by Teatro Vivo as part of the Festival of Sheppey and commissioned by Ideas Test.

See also:
Teatro Vivo Open Workshop - Festival of Sheppey
Teatro Vivo Sharing Event - Festival of Sheppey

22/05/2026

Fancy a play? A play about Sheppey? You might have seen Teatro Vivo pop up here and there during June as part of the Festival of Sheppey. Join us for this fun round-up of your ideas and vote for your favourite. Open to everyone.

📅 June 27, 2026
⏰ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
📍 Sheppey Little Theatre, Meyrick Road, Sheerness. Kent. ME12 2NX
🎟️ FREE - booking is required for capacity 👉 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ideastestcio/2168147

This event is produced by Teatro Vivo as part of the Festival of Sheppey, and commissioned by Ideas Test.

21/05/2026

Teatro Vivo invites you to come and help create a show for Sheppey! This fun and playful session will use drama and music to explore ideas for a new play about Sheppey. Absolutely no previous experience necessary.

📅 June 25, 2026
⏰ 6:00 pm—8:00 pm
📍 Criterion Blue Town, ME12 1RW
🎟️ FREE, but requires booking 👉 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ideastestcio/2168172

This event is produced by Teatro Vivo as part of the Festival of Sheppey, and commissioned by Ideas Test.

20/05/2026

Ever wanted to make an app? Young and aspiring coders, developers, and app designers, this one’s for you! 🖱👩🏼‍💻💻

If you’re a student age 16+, futureCoders SE Charity Hackathon is the perfect opportunity to take a practical step into the world of app development.
Alongside a team of tech-minded peers you’ll be putting your minds and mainframes together to create an app which can help solve a problem faced by 3 real world charities and make a real difference to them and the people they support.

📍Community Hub at MidKent College Medway Campus, Medway Rd, Gillingham ME7 1FN
🗓️Monday 1 June 2026
⌚6pm - 9pm
Refreshments provided (including Pizza!🍕), bring your own laptop if you can otherwise one can be provided. 💻

Does this sound like your type of thing?
Sign up now by emailing: [email protected]

—
About futureCoders
“Started in 2016, aims to create great problem solvers, with a coding and data toolset, and to link them with employers. Much of our work is focused on young people, aged between 16 and 24.

18/05/2026

Join Ideas Test, Sittingbourne Steam Railway, and Writer-in-Residence Dan Thompson for a fantastic family fun day at the railway!

Celebrate the finale of Dan’s residency with a special event showcasing the work he’s created over the past year. Explore an exhibition of his writing, enjoy a poem brought to life on a train journey, try out creative writing prompts, and connect with fellow writers and railway enthusiasts.

📅 Sunday, 14th June 2026 | 1 pm - 5 pm
📍 Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, Sittingbourne Retail Park, The Wall, Sittingbourne ME10 2XD
🎟️ No booking required, just drop in.

You’ll also get the chance to experience this unique historic line, originally built in 1905 to transport raw materials for paper production and the finished goods.

Address

Ideas Test, Room 5, First Floor, 5a Community Hub, 5a New Road Avenue
Chatham
ME46BB

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

https://ideastest.org.uk/, http://linktr.ee/IdeasTest

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