ABOUT US
This didn’t start as an organisation. It started with a need.
Founded on lived experience. Driven by fairness. Rooted in Wigan.
THE PROBLEM
Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t.
In communities like Wigan, access to arts, music and creative opportunity has never been equal. Lessons cost money. Classes require transport. Confidence requires someone to believe in you first.
The result is predictable: whole generations of young people whose talent goes undiscovered — not because it isn’t there, but because the door was never opened.
Pianos, Pies and Pirouettes was built to open that door.
From our YouTube — talent and access in the community.
“Creativity shouldn’t depend on what you can afford.”
“Potential shouldn’t go unseen.”
“Community shouldn’t mean overlooked.”
Enoch at the piano
Elijah at the piano
Alan Gregory — founder, self-taught pianist
THE FOUNDER
From one piano to a whole community.
Alan Gregory taught himself to play piano during one of the hardest periods of his life. Music didn't just pass the time — it carried him through grief, isolation and uncertainty.
But Alan knew that access to that kind of outlet isn't equal. Lessons cost money. Opportunities aren't evenly distributed. Talent is often left undiscovered simply because no one opened the right door at the right moment.
That experience became the foundation of Pianos, Pies and Pirouettes — an organisation built not on theory, but on lived understanding of what creativity can do for a person, and what its absence costs.
Today PPP provides free and subsidised lessons, creative programmes for children and families, and opportunities for those who might otherwise be excluded. This is not about charity. It’s about fairness.
“What helped me survive — we now offer to others.”
Piano Warriors
OUR APPROACH
Not activities — a joined-up model.
PPP doesn’t deliver isolated workshops. Everything connects — culture, skills, voice, identity and social impact — into one system, all rooted in place.
Prayer garden
A short from our prayer garden work — part of how PPP shows up in place.
“This is what it looks like when the work is real.”
Real-world delivery
Not theoretical provision. PPP works in the community, with the community — in the places and spaces where people already are.
Cross-sector reach
Arts, sport, heritage, media, education. PPP connects sectors that rarely talk to each other and finds the overlap where change happens.
Lived experience
The organisation was founded on personal experience of what creativity can do — and what its absence costs. That shapes everything.
WHY PPP IS DIFFERENT
Anyone can run a workshop. Not everyone builds a pathway.
- We start from lived experience, not imported expertise
- We work across arts, sport, heritage and media simultaneously
- We measure impact in people, not attendees
- We are rooted in one of England’s most overlooked communities
- We have the media track record to prove we’re serious
- We are building towards systems change, not just service delivery
PPP is not a delivery vehicle. It is a platform — for young people to find their voice, for communities to reclaim their identity, and for overlooked places to be seen on their own terms.
When a funder visits this site, they should see not a collection of nice projects — but a coherent model of how culture creates change.
OUR JOURNEY
From one idea to a connected movement.
PPP Founded
Pianos, Pies and Pirouettes CIC incorporated in Wigan.
Beyond Wigan Pier
A brand-new community musical premieres to over 1,000 people — with Richard Blair, son of George Orwell, as narrator.
Wigan Warriors × Royal Ballet
PPP brings elite rugby players into ballet training, culminating in a visit to the Royal Ballet School in London.
HAF Programme Launches
Holiday Activities and Food programme rolls out across multiple Wigan sites, reaching hundreds of children aged 4–15.
£150k Proper Good Award
Independent panel validates PPP as a sustainable, investable organisation. BBC Radio Manchester coverage follows.
ITV Granada & Pods of Sunshine
VE Day youth media project airs on ITV Granada Reports. Pods of Sunshine youth platform launches, backed by the Orwell Society.
Systems Change Model
PPP pursues Esmée Fairbairn funding to scale a joined-up model connecting culture, skills, voice and identity across Wigan.
PPP Founded
Pianos, Pies and Pirouettes CIC incorporated in Wigan.
Beyond Wigan Pier
A brand-new community musical premieres to over 1,000 people — with Richard Blair, son of George Orwell, as narrator.
Wigan Warriors × Royal Ballet
PPP brings elite rugby players into ballet training, culminating in a visit to the Royal Ballet School in London.
HAF Programme Launches
Holiday Activities and Food programme rolls out across multiple Wigan sites, reaching hundreds of children aged 4–15.
£150k Proper Good Award
Independent panel validates PPP as a sustainable, investable organisation. BBC Radio Manchester coverage follows.
ITV Granada & Pods of Sunshine
VE Day youth media project airs on ITV Granada Reports. Pods of Sunshine youth platform launches, backed by the Orwell Society.
Systems Change Model
PPP pursues Esmée Fairbairn funding to scale a joined-up model connecting culture, skills, voice and identity across Wigan.
Want to be part of what comes next?
Whether you’re a funder, a family, or someone who believes in what we’re building — there’s a place for you here.