Reach The Heights Promotion Day

Reach The Heights Promotion Day at Beyond Vision Event, 4 November 2011

As part of Reach The Heights project UCAN Members created a show to celebrate the Beyond Vision day at Neath Port Talbot College.  The event was attended by teachers, low vision project workers and numerous professionals working in the visual impairment sector.  Special thanks to Jake Sawyer who coordinated all the performances and gave up his 17th birthday to promote the successes of visually impaired young people.  THANKS JAKE!

UCAN Productions Launch the Big Lottery’s ‘Bright New Futures’ programme

Click on the links below to see UCAN Members perform a Flash Mob dance on U-Tube.  Over 40 UCAN Productions members, who are all visually impaired, helped the Big Lottery launch their new ‘Bright New Futures’ programme in the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay.  UCAN members from all over Wales took part and surprised the public in the Wales Millennium Centre by bursting into dance.

UCAN were happy to help the Big Lottery launch this project which aims to build the resilience of young people in Wales so that they have life skills, knowledge and the ability to manage key transitions in their lives.  The Big Lottery Fund are making £12 million available for projects across Wales, working with young parents and/or young disabled people aged 14-25.

UCAN Productions Launch \’Bright New Futures\’ project for The Big Lottery

Lloyd Coleman – Breaking The Wall

Breaking The Wall Project (DAC) 25-29 July

A week long series of workshops based at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

The wonderfully talented Lloyd Coleman has been working hard on his composition Breaking The Wall (a 35 minute piece composed for a full symphony orchestra).  The project is to celebrate the Cultural Olympiad.  With the aid of funding from The Legacy Trust and in partnership Disability Arts Cymru’s ‘ Who’s Flame is it Anyway?’

Lloyd has been working very hard over the past few years on this mammoth task.  Lloyd, who is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music, has been mentored through the project by internationally acclaimed arranger Lawrence Ashmore.

The project will culminate in a public performance played by The BBC National Orchestra of Wales on 3 March followed by a full recording of Breaking The Wall on 7 March 2012.  This gives UCAN Productions time to create performances for the Olympic celebration.  UCAN Members and Trainers including Giles Abbott, Professional Storyteller from London have been working very hard on narrative and creative movement piece to accompany Lloyd’s music.

UCAN Perform Festival 20 July 2011

UCAN PERFORM 2011

Performance Festival for Visually Impaired Young People and their Friends
Date: Wednesday 20 July 2011
Venue: Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay
Time:   11.00am – 4.00pm

Come and join us at The Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay for a day of fun, learn new skills, and make new friends

WORKSHOPS
Drama
Body Percussion
Radio Plays
Sound Recording
Activities for under 7’s
Dance and Movement

UCAN Members will be performing to the public on the Glanfa Stage throughout the day.

With thanks to Legal & General and Arts & Kids, the festival programme is free and all activities are designed for visually impaired young people.  No experience necessary. Professionals, teachers, family and friends are welcome to attend.  Allocation of places will be on a first served basis.

For further information contact Enireth Powell-Davies info@ucanproductions.org or call our office 029 2087 0554.  Anyone under the age of 18 must complete a parental consent form.

We look forward to hearing from you!  Join UCAN Productions on Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23029023431&v=wall

i2i Project – School of Optometry & Vision Sciences

UCAN Productions have recently completed a series of Visual Awareness Training with the help of from RNIB Cymru.  118 Optometry Students completed the training at Cardiff University and from the 118 over 90 students have come forward and are now Performance Support Volunteers to UCAN’s members.  The objective of the training was for the students, who will be Optometrists in the future, to gain a better understanding of the challenges and obstacles facing our visually impaired young people.

Below are some photos of the students during the training:-

A big thank you to Dr Christine Purslow, Senior Lecturer at The School of Optometry for all her help and making this project a great success.  Also we’d like to thank The Arts Council for Wales and The Millennium Volunteers who funded this project.