A year in review..
I cannot believe what an amazing year we have had. In fact so much has happened it is a challenge to keep this message short!
Our biggest project was Calypso, based in Barbados. This multi-year project was designed to raise awareness of the deaf experience on the island. You can read all about it on our website. We cannot wait for you to see the music videos in the new year. www.thecalypsoproject.com
We are proud to have worked with BT Sport on their groundbreaking initiative, Sign Up. They liked that as an organisation we have an ‘audio-visual’ approach to music. To read up more please visit: Sign Up | BT Sport
Our involvement in various conferences has seen us represented across the world - from London to Hong Kong. I am delighted to have been chosen to speak at both the BATOD and Sempre conferences.
In addition we have worked on a number of smaller projects to improve access for deaf people including a forestry project in Yorkshire, a visual arts project in Kendal, Cumbria, a music project for a Brighton festival, and a ‘Noise’ dance project in London.
Children remain one of our founding focuses, and we enjoyed contributing to BBC Orchestra Wales, Music in Health, Ireland (formerly Kids Classics) and the Lullaby project with Opera Sonic based in Newport, Wales. We are the project lead for the Imagine Project - developing a series of music resources for Early Years in partnership with Sound of Intent Charity. We will continue our drive to improve music education for deaf children next year following on from our successful workshops for Camden Music Service and Roding School.
It’s been a year of highs for the deaf community, one which saw our BSL act become a reality and our participation in the BDA Celebration Day was special for many reasons. We’ve seen the emergence of new talent and increased representation of Deafness and BSL in the media. Long may it continue! I’m also excited to say I achieved my level 6 BSL certificate, I believe in promoting the standards of BSL through my music teaching work.
As a small charity we rely on the donations of others and would like to thank all of you who attended our fundraising concert - your generosity is most appreciated. I would also like to thank those of you who follow us on social media and share our posts. This really does help in spreading awareness and I’m grateful for your support.
All that remains is for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Best wishes, Ruth
