A Cheshire College – South and West student is raising money to perform a stand-up comedy set at the Edinburgh Fringe; the celebrated festival which welcomes performers from all over the world, from big names in the entertainment industry to unknown artists looking to build their careers.  

Caitlin Jones (who uses they/them pronouns) is a Level 3 Creative Media Practice student, based at the college’s Chester campus, and they originally worked as a show-writer for comedy charity events, before deciding to try stand-up: “People kept telling me that my jokes were funny, and I started to think that there might be a way to make a career out of that.”  

“The Edinburgh Fringe is the place where most comedians go to make a name for themselves and I know that comedy is something that I want to pursue full-time after university, so I thought if I start now, it will help me to boost my platform.” 

At the Fringe, Caitlin will be performing a 45-minute set, conducted in a diary format and centring on life as an LGBTQIA+ teenager. They cite the work of the late Rik Mayall and Monty Python as some of their comedic inspirations; Monty Python’s Eric Idle has even been in touch and helped to promote some of their work. “He’s really supportive and he’s given me advice too, which is lovely.” 

Cheshire College has also played an important role in Caitlin’s career plans. They are hoping to study Performing Arts at university and said that the support offered to media students at Cheshire College is unparalleled: “I’m from Wrexham, so it’s a bit of a journey to get here every day! But Cheshire College has much better support for media students than other options I was considering, so I decided that it was worth making the journey.” 

Caitlin is continuing to raise money to fund their performance at the festival, and welcomes donations from college staff, students and members of the public. To donate please visit https://gofund.me/ad434b09. 

Cheshire College are now accepting applications for September 2023 for those interested in studying a diverse range of subjects, designed to provide students with combined skills and knowledge that will fully prepare them for the next exciting stage of their life. 

Visit www.ccsw.ac.uk to find out more.