You are here: REHACARE Portal. Up-to-date. Archive. Arts.
Volunteer Needed: Help Manchester Girl Pursue Her Acting Dream!
Volunteer Needed: Help Manchester Girl Pursue Her Acting Dream!
Laura's mum, Jenny said, "Laura goes to a special needs school quite some distance away and is often lonely because she has no friends near home. She relies on her family for her social life but would love to go to a club on her own. All it would take would be a volunteer or a helper to make sure Laura was doing the same as everyone else; and to help the other kids in the group know how to welcome and include her.”
Laura finds meeting new people very difficult so she often feels lonely and spends most of her free time at home with her parents. Taking part in a drama group would help Laura make friends with people that have similar interests. She just needs a volunteer to spend a couple of hours a week helping her keep up with conversation and making sure that other people in her group can understand her.
A one-day training course run by Mencap, the UK's leading learning disability charity, will give volunteers all the information and ideas they need to help Laura take part in a drama club.
Laura's story was featured on BBC's Blue Peter programme to support their Get Together fundraising appeal to help more children and young people with a learning disability take part in out of school clubs. Clubs such as drama groups are great places to meet new people and learn new skills. However, many out of school clubs do not or cannot provide children with a learning disability with the level of support they need to take part in such activities.
Laura says, "I want to meet new friends and have a go at more drama. I love doing drama and have been in plays at school. I want to do things like my brother without my mum and dad.”
If you can spare a couple of hours a week to support Laura at her drama club please call Nez Smithson on 0121 708 3039.
- For more information, go to www.mencap.org.uk
