Name: Learn the joy of imperfection
Price: 25 GBP
Availability: InStock

feelgood theatre productions

London

Founded by Artistic Director Caroline Clegg Feelgood have been creating award winning theatre since 1994 fusing the unusual with the imaginative - classical texts and ground breaking new commissions at traditional and site specific venue. A cappella singing and drumming, Shakespeare and African dance, abseiling, pyrotechnics and fire sculpting with music and drama - in parks, cliff tops, garden centres, African townships, museums and traditional theatres, national tours and West End transfers. We have distinguished ourselves with an array of acclaimed shows following our spectacular launch with the musical Our Girls in 1994, where the audience lined the runway at Barton Aerodrome and looked on in awe as a World War II bomber landed to disembark the cast. We have followed that with 24 years of incredible productions: Blue Remembered Hills, Pictures at An Exhibition, (Mussorgsky), La Boheme (Puccini), Wind in the Willows, Robin Hood, The Wizard of Oz, Rosa, The Three Musketeers, Dracula - The Blood Count, Arthur - King of the Britons, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, national tours and West End transfers of Not About Heroes, and we were honoured to be presented to HM The Queen and HRH Duke of Edinburgh at the opening of The Lowry theatre where we opened our production of Crystal Clear followed by The Wizard Of Oz, which sold out for their first Christmas show. Integral to each production is our commitment to making innovative education and community programmes. In 2007, Artistic Director Caroline Clegg and the company were awarded the prestigious Horniman Award at the Manchester Evening News Awards for their outstanding contribution to live theatre. They also hold the Angel Award for Artistic Excellence and Caroline was awarded the John Thaw Fellowship at the University of Manchester in honour of her companies work. In 2002 we developed Romeo & Juliet - Thando & Ruvhengo a riveting multi-cultural production made in Bulawayo Zimbabwe and performed in Bulawayo, Harare and Manchester as part of the Culture Shock Commonwealth Games programme. The journey was made into an award-winning documentary. In 2009 we collaborated in Manchester with the thrilling company exiled from Zimbabwe Theatre Under Fire to create our incredibly moving Macbeth in Heaton Park. In 2010 the world premiere of Slave - A Question of Freedom (the story of Mende Nazer) followed a trajectory of thrilling work from Africa that aims to celebrate the joy of diversity and raise awareness of modern slavery. It won the Pete Postlethwaite Best New Play Award and the Inaugural Human Trafficking Foundation Media Award which was presented at No 10 Downing Street. It was also performed in the House of Lords to aid the Nuba Mountains Solidarity campaign to highlight not only slavery in Sudan but the continued persecution of the Nuba people. In 2014 on the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the Frist World War we followed in the footsteps of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon went on an 18 venue national and European tour of Not About Heroes. We began at Craiglockhart War Hospital and toured across the UK to places pertinent to them both including La Maison Forestiers – (the Foresters House) in Ors France where Wilfred Owen spent his last few days before a 5 week residency beginning on the 11th of November at the Trafalgar Studios in the West End. The same year Feelgood were honoured with a second Lord Mayor's Civic Reception for our dedication to the arts. Alongside this tour we also created an international poetry competition to raise awareness of PTSD. Workshops took place at Catterick Garrison and in schools and community venues at our 18 venues culminating in a special winners award ceremony in 2015. Heaton Park is a special place for Feelgood. We used to tour our summer open-air shows across the country and went to Heaton in 1998 where we performed for 11 yrs. After a gap of 9 years we returned in May 2016 with Whispers of Heaton. We presented two new immersive site-specific commission plays, The Bugler and The Fight to commemorate the Battle of the Somme and the Manchester Pals regiments in Heaton Hall and Park. This announced our return to Heaton, the place we love to call our spiritual home and where we are now the Official Theatre Partner with Manchester City Council. In the summer of 2017 we brought back our open-air promenade productions with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The park is a unique place with hundreds of stories to tell and we aim to reveal them as we re-ignite a passion for culture in the park. Our long term vision which we announced at a special dinner hosted by our sponsor PZ Cussons on November 14th 2017 is to build a theatre in the park. We are in year two of our vision development which is called ‘Field of Dreams’. We are undertaking a feasibility study in consultation with Manchester City Council in line with their new Manchester Park Strategy. We hope a Feelgood Theatre in the Park will be a cultural space for world class theatre, music, dance and open air activities. Heaton Park is cherished by so many and our aim is that we build a lasting legacy to ensure that theatre can be accessed by everyone.

the city of edinburgh music school

Edinburgh

One year ago today, we were not sure how we would be delivering educational experiences for our students. Two years ago, the situation was even worse as we were not sure whether we would be able to offer anything meaningful at all in person. The relative normality of this year’s first day of school brings reassurance and joy. So far it seems that everyone has grown over the summer, and our returners look more confident and poised than they did six weeks ago. No doubt they have many stories to share, much better in person than through the various social media platforms that they have been inhabiting. Our new S1 students are excited about starting this new phase in their lives. A few have had to ask for directions to classes, but good for them that they have the confidence to do so. They will bring much to the future of our school and in the blink of an eye they will be in S6 preparing for the next phase. Being Part of the Community The vast majority of our students are showing their pride in being part of the Broughton High School community by wearing school uniform and dress code. That is part of their contribution to their school, and is most welcome. I would emphasise that although school uniform is much less expensive than the designer clothing that teenagers might choose to wear, we are keen to support families who are struggling with the cost of clothing. The best way to access this is via our guidance team, through either a direct phone call or an email to school reception. Academic Success More detailed information will be forthcoming, but I am absolutely delighted to share that the attainment gained by our S4-S6 students last year was outstanding. Despite the many challenges that they had to face, they contributed to the best set of SQA results that the school has ever seen. Better than the exam-free years of 2020 and 2021. Better than any year since statistics have been recorded in the current format. This is particularly remarkable, given that the national pass rates have actually declined this year. This level of academic success is not just down to ability but comes as a result of many factors: hard work and resilience; support from parents and carers; and untiring high quality teaching and regard from staff are some. A massive well done from me and the whole school staff to those young people. Senior Staffing News We welcome Mrs Lisa Evans to our school senior leadership team. Mrs Evans has been a curriculum leader in another Edinburgh school for the past eight years, and was previously an English teacher at Broughton. I am delighted that Mrs Evans is back in the Broughton HS family and we look forward to great things. Recently we also welcomed Mr Steven Frew back to Broughton HS after a few years as a curriculum leader in East Lothian. Mr Frew joined us just before the end of the summer term in the role of Senior Development Officer. One of his key roles is to explore the diversity in our school community and make the most of the opportunities that this provides. This will be fascinating and will provide further impetus to cohesion and success in our school. Mr Frew was also previously with us as a Business Education teacher. It speaks volumes for Broughton HS that staff who have progressed in their career are keen to re-join us further down the line. I am pleased to inform you that Mrs Shona Wallace, Depute Headteacher, has been appointed on an acting basis to the Headship of Craigroyston Community High School. Mrs Wallace will work hard – as she always does – to support the community at Craigroyston. We wish her well, and look forward to her return in the latter part of the academic year. Finally, I would like to thank our parental community for the support you give to our school. We will keep trying together to make things as good as possible for our young people. Most of the time we get it right, and long may that continue. John J Wilson Headteacher *********** Broughton High School aspires to be a learning community known for its excellent learning and teaching. We maximise student achievement; provide support, welfare and inspiration. We are committed to continual improvement. Our students will be confident, successful and able to contribute effectively and responsibly to society. They should foster an interest in life long learning. We are a consistently improving organisation. Our core values are the same - respect, inclusion and integrity in all that we do. Tolerance and a willingness to learn about other cultures have been at the heart of Scottish education for centuries. By embracing the Scottish tradition and developing through a curriculum for excellence we hope to develop as truly global citizens. Broughton High School is developing as a centre of excellence in the wider community with our business partners and neighbours utilising the building during and beyond the school day. The development of partnership working is important to us and we actively pursue their development. In school, it goes without saying that we provide a secure and healthy environment, but we aim for much more. We aspire to personal excellence at all times. In every classroom, on the playing fields, through every note played in the Music School we aim for the highest standards. These can only be achieved if the whole school community works in partnership.

beggarbush media

Worcester

Ben and family run Beggarbush Gundogs a true family business. We all share the passion for working dogs. Joe and Jack our two young boys enjoy the dogs / puppies and training as much as us all. We have invested in premium facilities making Beggarbush Gundogs one of the stand-out Gundog centres around. Clients visit from all over the world to train and learn from Ben. After another amazing training session I felt compelled to write short piece on my experience working with Ben Randall that would hopefully help others do the right thing and sign up for some training while also thanking him for what he has helped us achieve. My journey with Ben and Beggarbush Gundogs started from an Internet search to look up the guy who had achieved so much following a day from hell with my 16 month Springer Spaniel. After a whole year of training with my local club and a number of “experts” Bracken was nothing short of a nightmare. He wouldn’t heel, he ran in on everything, his nose completely ruled his actions and it looked like he was too hot to handle. At the end of my tether the only option left was to seek out a real expert and after an extensive search felt that Ben’s CV in this field could have only been achieved by an expert. After reaching out to Ben he suggested an initial 2 hour assessment and lesson which I took him up on. I can honestly say without any hesitation, the best decision I’ve made in my field sports life to date. From arriving at Ledbury Lodge Kennels, the home of Beggarbush gun dogs, until today I have been impressed further and further. The facilities at Ledbury Lodge are first class and provide everything from comfortable tweed couches for the initial consultation and coffee, to the training facilities with cover, retrieving lanes and water. Beggarbush certainly has everything needed to get the best out of the sessions. After speaking with Ben at length about where we were with our training and advising Ben I wanted an all-round Springer that could stand on the peg with me as well as shooting over him, beating and a bit of picking up, I expected Ben to try and lower my expectations. He reassured me it was achievable but laid out in no uncertain terms that it would require going back to basics to ensure we had all the right building blocks to bring together for the field. We spoke at length about Ben’s bespoke training methods, the theory, dog psychology and experience to explain how and why it worked (suggest speaking to Ben directly for details) and I went home with lots of exercises and work to do following Ben’s foundation training. On September 9th Bracken stood with me for 5 drives while my wife enjoyed her first day of the season, Bracken was off of the lead all day. We were fortunate enough to have a few more days out through the season, Bracken was with me on all of them and was a joy to be with and we received a number of positive comments, about Bracken, unfortunately not about my shooting!! On October 5th were given the opportunity to go out beating on a hugely well respected Estate in the Cotswolds. This particular estate is known for its exceptionally well presented birds and no nonsense keeping. We were invited back and went on to be presented with Beater and Dog of the year at the Shoot dinner. The gamekeeper praising Bracken specifically as one of the best dogs he’s seen for 20+ years in the field. I genuinely can’t believe how far Bracken and I have come under Ben’s guidance. It’s been an incredible journey and education that has completely opened my eyes and shown me what training a dog is really about. It’s not just a series of repetitive exercises that they slowly learn. It’s a complete ethos combing specifically designed exercises that come together to give the dog and handler the right skills and importantly relationship to perform in harmony in the field. We also now feed our dogs Kronch ‘Beggarbush Champions Choice’ specifically developed by Ben for working dogs. It has given all our dog’s incredible coats that keep them warm and dry on the cold wet days and keeps them with drive and power from early till late, some weeks 3-4 days in a row. Needless to say, I can’t speak highly enough of Ben Randall and Beggarbush Gundogs. We now train all our dogs with Ben and all are seeing the same amazing progression even though they are three of the most different dog personalities you could find. Ben really does appear to have seen it all and is able to keep making suggestions and giving little hints and tips that always allow for an answer to the varying degrees of problems we come up against. Whether the dogs are out as a pack with the family on a relaxing walk, individually training or working on a shoot, we are regularly asked for advice on various training needs and I am now confident to help anyone……….call Ben Randall at Beggarbush, he will sort it!!!! Without any reservation I would strongly recommend Ben Randall and Beggarbush Gundogs for a complete training and development experience to suit any level and dog training ambition. As I have said on more than one occasion. Thanks Ben, you have completely changed our field sporting lives to such a huge degree. Long may it continue and with the new dogs too.

ksenia belash

It’s a pleasure to greet you in my virtual home:) Meeting someone for the first time can feel a little awkward. As a way of introduction, let me share a few random and not so random facts about me: I spent a big chunk of my childhood daydreaming, journeying through whimsical worlds, exploring subtle energies and noticing things that other people strangely wouldn’t notice. I wrote my first poem at the age of 6. This is also when I experienced myself as a cloud during my first ever meditation, guided by my grand dad. One of my favourite treasures was a blue crystal ball that my mum brought home from a lab she worked at - it seemed to have come from a different dimension. For a long time, I made myself believe these things were silly and meaningless. These days, I cherish the magical, the whimsical, the weird and believe the sense of WONDER to be a potent medicine for the soul that I am privileged to share with others. Up until the age of 9, if I closed my eyes, I could see people’s emotional states as auras of different colours. I developed my own colour coding system to identify what was going on - it was quite accurate. Unfortunately, I don’t see auras anymore, but I get a lot of subtle information through my body sensations. Whenever I speak to someone, a whole big experience unfolds within me and, over the years, through studies of the nervous system and what not, I have developed a way of making quite a good sense of it. It is a huge resource that I bring into my work with people. I also see images and metaphors that come seemingly out of nowhere and bring insights into things. I am currently 38. Most people assume I am younger and it can feel mischievously delicious to see them acting in alignment with this assumption without breaking the illusion. I currently live in London, am planning to move to Portugal, was born and raised in Russia and my roots are mainly from Ukraine. I speak seven languages and know both the curses and the gifts of not having one single place of belonging. I came to the UK when I was 20 to study hospitality and tourism management…only to realise, a couple of years later, that my heart longs to create and express itself, not manage. So I got my BA, completed my internship in a Central London office and went on to pursue photography and other visual arts for many years to come. It is only recently that I have connected my early interest in hospitality with what I currently do - which hosting spaces where people can really land and feel at home, in connection with their body, soul and spirit. I spent many years of my life in a relationship that felt utterly destructive to my soul. In 2015, I felt desperate and went to see a therapist. I thought this work was useless and nothing would help. In 2016, I went through a painful separation and then divorce. At that time, I was also feeling completely lost professionally. This period felt like the dark night of the soul, but I have eventually managed to come through, with a different understanding of myself, my strength, my needs and things I stand for in this world. What felt like hell, turned out to be the beginning of my healing journey. A BIT ABOUT MY HEALING JOURNEY Having grown up in an environment where emotional depth, sensitivity to nuance, authentic self-expression and creative ways were not exactly appreciated, I know very well what it's like to feel different, misunderstood, not sure where and if I can ever belong. For many, many years, I believed that something was deeply wrong with and broken about me and how I am. No matter how much I tried, how much I pushed to change myself, I struggled to fit into the loud, noisy, rushing, linear, rationality-oriented world that at times didn't make any sense. Like so many other sensitive souls, I have developed my own ways of coping and fitting in - like hiding bits of myself that I deemed ugly, scary or uncool, swallowing my truth, hiding my thoughts and feelings even from myself to the extent of losing any sense of boundaries, disconnecting from my body and intuition, anxiously chasing after the next new thing and external validation, not giving myself any space to breathe and listen to my inner voice. Living like this was painful and at some point became intolerable, so I reached out for help. In the course of my own healing journey, one of the many things I have discovered that the belief that something was fundamentally wrong and broken about me, was just that - a belief, not a curse that determined how I lived my life. I have also discovered that the most healing thing was not this or that tool, modality or approach. It was not even a cognitive understanding of why things happened. What my inner system and the young parts of my psyche deeply needed in order to heal was an attuned relational space, where I was loved for who I was and allowed to go at my own pace and be fully me, with all of my feelings of brokenness, sadness, envy, confusion, darkness, guilt, lostness, anger, heartbreak, as well as joy, excitement, dreaminess, hope and pride and a myriad of other feelings. What my parts needed, were to be seen and consistently met with acceptance, love, warm curiosity, compassion and understanding by another human being. In the process, I have also discovered the power of connecting with my intuitive body wisdom and befriending my nervous system and what is often referred to as somatic intelligence - a resource I never knew was available to me. As a result, rigid ways of being/thinking/reacting that have felt like "just who I am", started to soften, release and transform, while my sense of authentic self, personal power, self-trust, boundaries and capacity to feel and handle difficult emotions, without becoming overwhelmed, has been steadily growing. Offering healing spaces like that and supporting others like myself on their journeys of growth and healing, has become my passion and vocation.

code red the empowerment project

London

The founder, Calvin E J Wilson LLM (LSE), is a Barrister who has a longstanding interest in educating students, young adults, and their parents on the workings of the criminal justice system. The Empowerment Project Qualifications and Studies Barrister at Law, Inns of Court, School of Law, United Kingdom Attorney at Law Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago Senior Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecution Service, United Kingdom Banker, Bank of Commerce, Trinidad and Tobago Master of Laws (Commercial) London School of Economics Bachelor of Laws University of London The Empowerment Project Experience Post graduate education and training in the law, with valuable experience on the frontline of the Criminal Justice System including almost eight years prosecution experience at the Crown Prosecution Service and the Criminal Courts, and operational experience with advising Teams at New Scotland Yard. Devised and successfully delivered this series of workshops and has conducted mentoring, motivational speaking and awareness raising sessions at Youth Clubs and Community Centres around London. Direct contacts with officers of the Met Police at ranks of Constable, Sergeant, and Inspector. Guidance and mentoring experience with black young adults. The Empowerment Project Skills Strong professional, administrative, managerial, and creative skills. Resolute adherence to good governance, accounting and auditing best practices. Devising and implementing new and improved working arrangements and innovative projects. Unique skill set that is critical to the effective leadership and delivery of the objectives of Code Red Empowerment. Established Consulting firm Calvin Wilson and Associates, which offers strategic and public affairs advice to governments and the private sector globally, on anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism issues, and on preventing trans-national criminal gangs from preying on young people. Founded The Empowerment Project The Empowerment Project Books Author of the book “Voices from Violence. A Woman’s Journey to Self-Healing” which is presented to audiences in the Readers Theatre format by CODE RED Ensemble, as an advocacy vehicle to empower young girls and women and to sensitise boys and men in order to reduce or eliminate the level of violence globally. Desilu Banton desilu banton I was born in Dulwich Hospital, East Dulwich Grove,SE22 3PT, on 11th December 1961. I began my life in a house at 102 Railton Road, Herne Hill,SE24 OET, on the ‘Front Line’ of ‘Brixton’, London. What I remember most of my childhood is drawing, drawing all the time, every opportunity. My father loved music and loved to dance. We would dance together. My mother designed clothes and was a dressmaker and cake baker. My parents had arrived in England in 1954 from Jamaica and lived in the Brixton area. They lived on Concannon Road from around 1955 and moved to Railton Road in 1959 after they had wed at the church at Santley Street, around the corner of Concannon Road. Today I live by my painting and continue in my mothers’ and fathers’ legacy as a creator. I am open to producing works of art by commission. painting Painting is expression, a way of me talking with everybody else about how I feel, like a bluesman would play his blues. The whole thing is about feeling. Painting is blues. I paint those feelings that are from inside my head, from inside my soul. The spiritual part of all this is the heritage, the thing that comes from my ancestors, the ingredients that everybody talks about when they talk about the past, where we all come from, which is DNA, the genes. What I am doing is recording the memory that comes to me from nature, along with the music that came from West Africa and the Atlantic experience, all of it, and what I do then is give it form, give it some skin, textures and colours, the whole thing is like an umbilical cord that has not lost its life force, it is the whole nine yards. Jackie Burton Jackie Burton Born and raised in West Yorkshire, I took a trip to London in 1983 and have remained here since then. I am a black woman, a Christian and a mother. A retired Social Worker, I have a passion for children, young people and their families. Over the last 40 years I have had roles in church including youth leader and Pathfinder club leader as well as teaching in children’s Sabbath school & children’s church. It was my joy, to find the most creative and interesting ways to engage children and young people with so many varied learning styles. Over the last 12 years of my career I was a Team Leader for a local authority Fostering Service; having responsibility for facilitating training, assessing foster carers and placing children from diverse and challenging backgrounds with those carers. Life-long learning is part of who I am and I started becoming more interested in paper crafts when my now, 25 year old son was around 3 years old. We started to make cards for every occasion and stopped buying them from the shops. Paper crafts opened the door to so many other crafting pursuits and my love for crafting has only grown since then, from wedding decoration, decoupage & canvas art to knitting & simple sewing, I have done many and various and still do. Nothing pleases me more than sharing my love for something with others, and creative crafts is certainly one of those very many things. I have done this via children’s craft workshops; transforming spaces for Vacation Bible School (VBS); school holiday clubs; card making workshops for children and adults. If it includes crafting, I will consider it. Currently I am involved in a weekly Craft Café project where we are using hobby crafts to support people in our community who may be lonely, socially isolated or feeling low. Sr Josephine Udie MP, MSc, GC HDip, NP Reverend Sister, Steer Right Project Coordinator, Power Coach Expert, Health Care Professional Reverend Sister, Steer Right Project Coordinator, Power Coach Expert, Health Care Professional Sister Josephine is passionate about the dignity of the human person. As a trained Power Coach and Health Care professional, Sister enjoys using her skills to coach, support and empower children and families to become who they are meant to be. Steer Right is a charity for which Sister Josephine is Project Coordinator, uses the strap line Little help Big Difference to highlight the effectiveness of what a small amount of intervention can do. Amari Smith-Foster Amari Smith-Foster I am a mental health advocate and a student counsellor. I am extremely passionate about mental health and well-being. After battling with my own mental health, being sectioned at just 13 and becoming part of the system, I am using those same life experiences to help others overcome. My story, my pain and this rollercoaster of a journey has given me great insight to help others and make a change. Me speaking up and using my voice, allows so many others, old, young, male, and female to feel heard, to feel seen. Now I am in a position, I have promised myself , it is pivotal that I make a change for the mental health system. My social profiles: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/onetap/?next=%2F LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amari-smith-foster-26a68417b/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMHXb5U40E0Zw1B3h4vcJg Please feel free to contact me should there be any issues. Norman Mine Norman Mine Norman Mine is an Italian-born London based multidisciplinary artist whose practice encompasses visual art, acting and social work. Using autobiographical scenarios as a starting point, Mine's practice expands into fantasy and delusion and in his alter-ego, Dino Desica, an aspiring Italian actor who exists only through a video format, as "performance to camera", becoming an ephemeral simulation of the self. Mine's practice explores the infinite possibilities of the self, the authenticity and the structures of inclusion and exclusion in which it is constructed. For the past three years Mine has run creative workshops co-working with people of different generations, backgrounds, and abilities; developing a specific approach that unsettles the scenario in which participants perform to stimulate creativity and imagination as an opportunity to navigate within. Mine has obtained a Masters Degree in Fine Art at Goldsmith College in 2018. His work has been shown at Performance Istanbul (2021), disORDER Live Collective (2020), Deptford X (2019), The Koppel Project (2019), Platform1 Gallery (2018), Art Night London (2017). He was a recipient of the DYCP grant, Art Council England (2021). In 2022 Mine has founded Norwood JunkAction, an eco-community art project based in Croydon, London. Diana Wilson Diana Wilson Diana Wilson is an Executive and Life Coach professional as well as a Psychodynamic Counsellor, who in parallel, has enjoyed a substantial career in Education and Training and Development across Schools and local Government. Diana is fluidly proficient in a myriad of modalities with a keen focus on Cognitive Behavioural Coaching. She offers leading-edge, inspirational coaching that stimulates thinking, accelerates transformation, and empowers clients to accomplish their aspirational goals. My social handles: Website: www.dwcoach.co.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/diana-wilson-564a6941 Richmond Trew Richmond Trew A Professional Trainer/Workshop Facilitator with 25 years’ experience of working in communities and custodial settings nationally and internationally. He is also a recording & performing artist fronting the collective Abstract Word and currently has Publishing & Production contracts with (Peer Music LTD-MAP Music). Richmond also leads a group of free-lance Arts Practioners under the name of Journeyman Arts (Using the Arts to share & pass on Knowledge). He also Runs 492 Korna Klub next generation Ltd that runs live improvised drama weekly on Galaxy Radio.