THE new culture boss at Warrington’s leading arts charity is looking forward to welcoming a huge realistic model of the moon to Parr Hall.

Leah Biddle, 34, the new cultural manager at Culture Warrington, revealed that her passion was making the arts more accessible and has laid out exciting plans for the future.

One of these is the Museum of the Moon, a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram, which will arrive in Parr Hall from October 4 to 15.

Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features detailed NASA imagery with each centimetre lit to perfectly represent the moon's surface.

Leah said: "This will be free to visit, open to all and we’re planning a whole programme of events to run alongside.

"There’ll be film nights under the moon, gigs for young people and all sorts of activities for school kids.

"We’re also hoping to organise a Light Night-style event in Queens Gardens, with music and light installations and a family-friendly dance performance.

"These are exactly the kinds of projects which I believe will help us achieve our ambition to engage more meaningfully with people of all ages.

"I want Culture Warrington to excite people and inspire teenagers and children to look beyond just attending a dance class or visiting an exhibition; I want them to explore the opportunities available to them in the wider arts industry, maybe as a choreographer or director for example.

"I don’t want people to have to go somewhere else to enjoy the arts; I want to bring that to Warrington so people can explore, experiment and be excited by the wonderful world of the arts in their home town."

The former Bridgewater High School pupil was appointed her new role while on secondment from the Warrington Wolves Foundation, where she was working as cultural partnership manager.

During the 10 years Leah worked at the Halliwell Jones stadium, a major highlight was collaborating with Culture Warrington on the Window on Warrington project which was set up to celebrate the 2013 Rugby World Cup.

Leah added: “Making the arts family-friendly is so important too; to inspire children and young people while connecting with older generations is a real ambition of mine.

"I’ve always admired Culture Warrington’s mission to promote the arts because I’ve always been part of delivering arts and culture in Warrington myself."