The Health Lottery scheme helps to raise funds for Enfield

The Health Lottery scheme helps to raise funds for Enfield

Face Front Inclusive Theatre uses grant to help disabled people to improve their confidence and social connectivity 23rd April 2018.

Face Front Inclusive Theatre in Edmonton, London has received an investment from People’s Health Trust of almost £35,000 – using money raised by HealthPromote through The Health Lottery.

This investment is being used to fund Broken Silence, Theatre for Change, a project delivering weekly performing arts training sessions for a group of adults with a range of disabilities in Edmonton, London. The group has the opportunity to learn various theatre skills which will help to improve their confidence and self-esteem and to improve their social connectivity.

This is the second time People’s Health Trust has funded Face Front Inclusive Theatre. The total investment, to date, from the Trust, using money raised by Health Promote through The Health Lottery, is just over £60,000.

Broken Silence has been established as Face Front’s adult theatre group since 2002. The drama group is made up of 30+ adults with sensory and mobility impairments, mental health issues and learning difficulties and is led by professional disabled and non-disabled artists.

Using the transformational power of theatre in order to focus on relevant issues and raise awareness, Broken Silence devises work that is inspired by issues personally important to the group members.

As Ray Downing, Artistic Director of Face Front Inclusive Theatre, explains: “Most of our members experience challenges in life, so often their plays will involve social themes, but the main aim is to produce an excellent piece of theatre of which they themselves feel proud of, and to give them a creative platform for their voices to be heard.

“The work can be radical, challenging, uplifting and moving. The group has continued to grow in confidence, experience and ability to entertain audiences with their exciting combination of storytelling, music, movement, drama, movement and song.”

He continued “As the sessions evolve, the members are forming a support network themselves, helping each other and, of course, having fun! Using their imaginations and developing their artistic expression is a wonderful release as well as creating amazing theatre.”

To date, thanks to society lotteries raising money through The Health Lottery scheme, over £99m has been raised for good causes, People’s Health Trust has been able to support nearly half a million people and over 2,700 projects locally.

To get involved in this or other Face Front projects, contact Andy Gilbert by calling 020 8350 3461 or email admin@ facefront.org