THE achievements of everyone connected with the Get Changed Theatre Company were recognised at an exciting awards evening held in Okehampton last week. The company works with adults in West Devon with learning disabilities to give them an outlet for expressing their feelings through drama. The awards evening —made possible thanks to a lottery grant — took place last Friday at the Charter Hall, in Okehampton. The aim of the event was to recognise the achievements of individual members who had taken part in the group's anti-bullying drama, and hopefully raise the charity's profile. Over the last three years, Get Changed has visited many secondary schools across the county with its production Freak Boy. The company has also worked in day and community centres, delivering a fun, informative and accessible workshop on bullying to learning disabled people. Vicky Hooper, the company's project co-ordinator, said: 'The whole company has worked extremely hard on the bullying project. We have had fantastic feedback from audiences and we are very proud of what we have accomplished.' The members were all involved in the planning of the event, and supported by artistic director Jane Foxwell devised their own speeches and presentations for the occasion. The Freak Boy project originated from working in partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police's Community and Safety Partnership, who commissioned the group to carry out the work with the long-term aim of helping to reduce the number of hate crimes against those with learning disabilities. The group hopes the event may have encouraged possible future funders to back the project, as they say changes in care provision for those with learning disabilities mean the Get Changed service is more important than ever.
