Unique Creative Arts Network for visually impaired young people

Record of achievements 2003 to 2006

2006

November

• UCAN Trainers team up with RNIB Cymru

October

• UCAN Productions has it's own awards ceremony at the Hilton Hotel Cardiff. Everyone had a fantastic time!!!

Augusts

• 14 year old Lloyd Colman Chair of UCAN Productions Young People's Steering Committee wins ITV 1 Wales Young Musician of the Year, receives grade 8 distinctions in both piano and clarinet and secures a place at one of the UK's best music schools Cheethams in Manchester. Lloyd suffers from both sight and hearing disabilities.
• Four day Summer School Summer School in Little Theatre Aberdare culminating in a 'show back' performance hi-lighting the weeks activities. London film crew attend to film extracts for the National Lottery.
• Five day Summer School in Llanover Hall, Cardiff culminating a 'show back' performance which included devises drama, solo singing, beat box and body percussion.

July

• Claire Milton, Children's Officer RNIB Cymru and UCAN Artistic Director develop and delivers workshop for teachers 'Bring literature alive for children with complex needs'.
• Help a South Wales Charity awards funds to UCAN Production for percussion instruments.
• RNIB Cymru and UCAN Productions provide Visual Awareness Training for arts trainers in Llanover Hall Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff.
• Secured sponsorship in kind from Core Multimedia for the construction of the UCAN web site.

More

• A one week drama workshop at Maes Dyfan Special School Barry for young people with complex needs.
• ACW Project UCAN Perform short listed from 450 projects in Wales for the National Lottery Awards 2006.
• RNIB Cymru and UCAN Productions secure funding from the National Lottery 'Reaching out' fund for the DEW project ( Developing Emotional Wellbeing through the Arts) to train Arts Practitioners in 13 theatres throughout Wales over three years.
• UCAN Productions invited to speak at the Labour Party Conference on the economic effect of social enterprise.
• Secured funding from the WCVA Social Risk Fund to establish a 'buddy bank' project in Torfaen in which able bodied young people learnt about all aspects of visual impairment and worked with the visually impaired young people in their area to produce a live performance on June 18th at the Congress Theatre, Cwmbran.
• Developed a partnership with Torfaen Borough Council's Social Inclusion Department.
• Artistic Director and Development Manager travelled to Alicante to the ONCE drama festival for visually impaired young people and met with 12 of the 26 drama groups currently operating in Spain.
• BBC volunteers produced a high quality DVD for all participants of the launch performance at The Gate.
• March – Launched UCAN Productions at The Gate Arts Centre on March 10th 2006. S4C Children's News Round Programme featured the young people's performance.
• February – UCAN Productions secured private sector sponsorship from Legal and General to cover the cost of the company launch.
• Secured funding from the Millennium Stadium Charitable trust to work with six professional Theatres throughout Wales and train local arts practitioners in 'best practice'.
• February – UCAN Chairman devised and performed a one man show 'To Be Brunt' at The Gate Arts Centre. All proceeds were put towards UCAN Productions core costs.
• January – Artistic Director and Development Director travel to Madrid with the support of Wales Arts International to discuss the possibilities of a partnership project with ONCE, the Spanish National Organisation for the Blind.

2005

• November 2005 Secured funding from Arts Council of Wales to work with 65 schools throughout South East Wales for the 'UCAN Perform Project'
• October 2005 Entered into a formal partnership agreement with RNIB Cymru.
• October 2005 RNIB Cymru residential Activities Week at Llangranog, West Wales attended by 12 visually impaired young people who devised a performance.
• August 16th 2005 UCAN Productions incorporated.
• July 2006 Drama workshops and storytelling at the Royal London Society for the Blind residential school Dorton House in Sevenoaks Kent.

2004

• Pilot RNIB Cymru drama workshops attended by visually impaired young people from 6 schools in the South East area of Wales which culminated in a live performance for family and friends at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.

2003

• Bernard and Jane Latham travel to Sierra Leone to work with the Milton Margai School for The Blind choir, return to UK with 35 choir members and successfully complete a 16 venue tour 'Songs of Salone' which culminated in a performance at Westminster Abbey with an audience of over 2000.

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