I've raised £1000 to to ensure our small business can continue providing FREE services to those most in need during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Organised by Clary Saddler
Story
Forget-Me-Not-Productions is a small family business run by Clary and Mel Saddler. We specialise in working with people with complex physical and cognitive disabilities, using assistive technologies to make the arts accessible to them. Typically we would bring our own specialist equipment and work with individuals within day centres, special schools, SEN units in mainstream schools, care homes & residential homes, or in their own homes.
Like many small businesses, the coronavirus pandemic has hit our organisation particularly hard. Sadly, our client base - most of whom are shielding due to the complexity of their medical needs - have also suffered as a result.
We haven't been wallowing though. We used the down time to develop a series of FREE sessions and resources using the ethos of MUSIC-CAN (minus the assistive technology).
Once Upon a Nursery Crime
The FREE 'nursery crimes' took place weekly via Zoom early in the pandemic (March 2020 - June 2020). Participants explored well-known nursery rhymes and fairytales alongside Jack Sprat; a police officer trying to crack a new unsolved nursery crime each week. The sensory activities were interspersed with popular songs. In November 2020 we adapted these sensory stories into an interactive sensory Zoom pantomime to try and spread some joy over the festive period. The pantomime was performed to schools, day centres and nursing homes - with a public performance on Sunday 20th December (for a small fee). We also offered a relaxed version of the pantomime Tuesday 22nd December for people with SEN, ALN ASD and people experiencing PMLD. If funding allows we hope to start up these FREE sessions in 2021.
Lockdown Learning through MUSIC-CAN with Forget-Me-Not-Productions
Music is an undeniable motivator – regardless of ability level or age range. We have therefore used the ethos of our MUSIC-CAN framework to develop a series of Lockdown Learning activities.
These FREE resource packs were released once a fortnight to help parents/guardians, schools and pupils with home school learning or to play catch-up with work missed as a result of the pandemic. They are still available online and if we can fundraise enough via this JustGiving page then we will resume these FREE resource packs.
This isn’t a money making scheme - the sessions/resource packs are completely FREE. However, being a small business we do need to keep some income coming in to keep our business going, so would welcome any donations that you can spare.
Many thanks,
Clary and Mel (of Forget-Me-Not-Productions)
www.forget-me-not-productions.co.uk
