Inspiring stories on the big screen

Company news

May 10, 2010

The film, called ‘Our Stories’, will be shown at the Odeon Cinema in Colchester.  It shows how Care UK has worked alongside eight people with learning disabilities to enable them to live the lives they want through training, consultation and mentoring.

The film features service users from some of Care UK’s ‘Listen to me’ groups, a nationwide network of self-advocacy groups representing the views of over 600 people with learning disabilities supported by Care UK.

The ‘Listen to me’ groups are located across England and Scotland and they meet every six to eight weeks to share ideas and to discuss how services can be improved for other service users. The group works in partnership with Care UK to influence directly how the services are delivered and managed.

Fran Winney of Care UK said: ”They are an inspiring group of people who are passionate about working together with us to ensure we can help service users lead fulfilling and empowered lives.

“They wanted to share their stories and tell people how they not only worked with Care UK to achieve the life they want, but also how they have helped and inspired other people by directly improving our services. This is an inspiring film about making the difference.”

The film features founder group member Steven Miller as he spends the day in and around Colchester, his local town, travelling on buses to his favourite shops and cafés and meeting with his wide social network. Steven, who hopes to make more films in the future, has been a leading light in the group, taking part in debates about how Care UK can further empower service users in the future.

Martin Wright, from Colchester was also one of the first members of the ‘Listen to me group’. His views have been key to making inclusion happen in areas such as recruitment.

Martin’s life goal was to have a real job. With support from Care UK, he was able to find a work placement to give him the skills he would need and the film shows his achievements. He said: “I would love to do more filming, and I enjoyed showing people the Art Café. I had great fun”

One of the most inspiring stories comes from Donna Mc Vitte from Newcastle. Donna describes how Care UK helped her take on the challenge of owning her own home and how it has bought her happiness she never expected.

Donna said: ”I enjoyed showing people where I live and enjoyed telling my story. It was excellent.”

Tickets for the screening of the film at Colchester are by invitation only