Who we are
About Amped
Amped is a community-driven music hub based in Berwick-upon-Tweed, created to help people learn, create, and grow through music. We bring together tutors, musicians, venues, and young creatives to open real pathways into performance, collaboration, and creative work. Whether someone is picking up an instrument for the first time or looking for their next gig, Amped gives them the support, structure, and confidence to move forward.
Our Mission
We’re here to build confidence and creativity through music — and to make sure everyone in Berwick has access to opportunities that help them develop their skills, connect with others, and feel part of something bigger. Music shouldn’t be limited by postcode, age, experience, or money. Amped exists to remove those barriers and give people a clear route into the creative world.
What We Do
We support musicians through four strands:
Learn — Tuition, workshops, mentoring, and hands-on experience with real musicians.
Create — Studio sessions, collaboration, songwriting, production, and creative exploration.
Perform — Gigs, showcases, community events, and our annual Amped Festival.
Connect — A growing network of musicians, tutors, venues, and supporters working together to build Berwick’s music scene.
All of our work focuses on real skills, real confidence, and real opportunities — not theory for theory’s sake.
Why Amped Exists
Berwick is full of musical talent, but opportunities to develop, perform, and collaborate have always been limited. Amped was created to change that. By offering affordable sessions, drop-ins, gigs, and a welcoming community, we’re building the kind of music ecosystem people deserve — right here in town, without needing to travel to Newcastle or Edinburgh.
Who We Support
We work with musicians of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Most of our programme focuses on young and emerging musicians (roughly 11–25), but our sessions, community gigs, and collaborative projects include adults too. Anyone with a passion for music will find a place here.
Our Approach
Music education doesn’t need to feel formal or intimidating. Our approach is hands-on, accessible, and rooted in the idea that people learn best when they feel supported and inspired. Every tutor and mentor we work with is an active musician — people who understand the realities of performing, recording, creating, and earning through music.
Led by Community
Amped is run as a Community Interest Company (CIC). That means everything we do is reinvested into making Berwick’s creative future stronger — from funding workshops and equipment to supporting young musicians who need financial help to get started.
Looking Ahead
In 2026 we launch the first Amped Festival, led by young musicians and showcasing local talent across multiple venues in Berwick. This festival is the long-term vision behind the skills programme — a place where the community can come together and celebrate the work of the people who’ve grown through Amped.
Amped is just getting started. As our network grows, so will the opportunities we can offer..
Meet the founder
Darren Holleywell — Musician, Educator, Mentor
Amped was founded by Darren Holleywell, a Berwick-based musician and educator with more than a decade of experience working in formal music education, community music, and creative development. Darren holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Music from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and has spent years working within Music Hubs and schools across the North East, supporting young musicians at every stage of their journey.
Through teaching, mentoring, and hands-on project work, Darren has supported countless young people as they’ve picked up instruments, developed their confidence, performed live for the first time, and discovered their own creative voice. His work blends professional musicianship with a deep understanding of how people learn — meeting each young musician where they are and helping them find a path that fits.
After years of seeing brilliant talent held back by limited opportunities, Darren created Amped as a way to change the landscape in Berwick. His goal is clear: remove barriers, build confidence, and create real pathways into music for anyone who wants to learn, perform, collaborate, or take their passion further.
Whether he’s teaching, running community workshops, supporting bands, or building partnerships with local venues and cultural organisations, Darren brings the same approach to everything he does — honest guidance, practical support, and a genuine belief in the power of music to help people grow.
Amped is the result of that mission: a place built for the community, shaped by experience, and driven by the belief that every musician deserves a chance.
Our Story
Amped began with a simple idea: Berwick has the talent, the passion, and the potential — it just needed a place where musicians could grow together.
For years, Darren worked across schools, Music Hubs, and community projects, meeting young people who were excited about music but unsure where to take it next. Many had never performed live. Many didn’t have access to lessons. Some couldn’t afford regular tuition. Others just needed someone in their corner telling them, “Yes — you can do this.”
Meanwhile, rehearsal spaces were disappearing, travel to bigger cities was expensive, and the local scene felt fragmented. There was creativity everywhere, but no shared home for it.
Amped was created to fill that gap.
What started as mentoring sessions and informal support quickly grew into something bigger: workshops, collaborative projects, performances, paid opportunities, and finally a vision for a dedicated community music hub that could serve Berwick year-round.
Every strand of Amped — Learn, Create, Perform, Connect — grew directly from the needs of the people Darren worked with. Nothing here was invented on paper. It all came from real conversations, real challenges, and real successes.
Today, Amped exists to bring those ideas together in one place.
A place where young musicians can take their first steps.
A place where emerging artists can find peers and collaborators.
A place where the whole community can support and celebrate its creative future.
Amped is still young, but the mission is clear: build something lasting, rooted in Berwick, shaped by the people who live here, and open to anyone who walks through the door with a love for music.
Our Values
Accessibility
Music should be for everyone. We keep our sessions affordable, offer pay-as-you-feel options when we can, and remove barriers that stop people from taking part. No experience, background, or budget should limit someone’s ability to make music.
Creativity
Every idea matters. We encourage experimentation, originality, and self-expression — whether someone is learning chords, writing their first song, or stepping onto a stage. Creativity is at the heart of every session we deliver.
Community
Amped is a network, not a classroom. We bring people together — musicians, tutors, venues, families — to support one another and grow the local scene. Collaboration is how we build confidence, friendships, and a stronger creative future for Berwick.
Growth
We believe in progress, not perfection. Amped gives people the space to develop skills, try new things, and take steps forward at their own pace. From first lessons to first gigs, we meet each person where they are and help them get to where they want to be.
Integrity
We’re a community interest company, not a profit-driven organisation. Every decision we make, and every pound we earn, goes back into supporting musicians, strengthening opportunities, and doing what’s genuinely best for participants.
Contact us
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!