A Prior's Court young person
has gone to his first-ever
theatre show, demonstrating
the transformational power of
the performing arts.
Thomas, 14, visited Kings Theatre
Southsea in Portsmouth to see Fireman
Sam Live.
Individuals with autism face many
barriers to accessing the arts -
from light and noise sensitivities to
understanding of social rules - and one
aim of the centre is to mimic theatre
environments to prepare young people
to access arts venues in the community
successfully. This is in addition to having
the opportunity day-to-day to express
themselves creatively in a dedicated,
bespoke space.
This is why Prior's Court is currently
fundraising for a new Performing Arts
Centre,
Thomas's parents were inspired
to attempt the trip by seeing how
well their son was coping here
when he was trying new things.
Claire, Thomas's mum, said: "We
weren't sure how he'd cope, but
we made a schedule for him and
he coped brilliantly. My husband
and I spent most of the show
just watching his face as he was
mesmerised and was just loving it.
"This was the first time we'd ever
taken Thomas to something like
this and I think seeing how he
copes with things at school gave
us the confidence to try."
Thomas's first theatre trip
A Prior's Court young person has
enjoyed his first-ever concert.
Ethan, 14, went to his first-ever concert
over the summer, seeing Olly Murs
perform at Newbury Racecourse
with his family.
Music has always been a huge
motivator for Ethan, but he has
never been able to go to a concert
due to worries about how he would
manage with the noise and crowds.
However, his family felt secure enough
to take him to the concert thanks to the
efforts of Prior's Court staff.
Ethan's mum Becky said: "Seeing him
so happy and coping with the noisy and
crowded environment was just amazing.
"We did have an accessible ticket for him
but he actually coped in the family zone
which meant that all four of us could be
together which was really special.
"We can't thank everyone at Prior's Court
enough to enable us to have had this
experience as a family."
It is "on your Marks,
get set, go!" for an epic
fundraiser by one of
our staff members.
Mark Bailey, our Head of
Service Management, has
begun training for a 24-hour
endurance challenge in
support of our Performing
Arts Centre fundraising
appeal.
On Wednesday, 6 March, Mark
will be cycling for 24 hours
around Prior's Court's 0.6km
circular track on a tricycle -
one of the preferred modes
of transport for many of our
young people.
The aim with the 'On your
MARKs, get set, go!' challenge
is to raise £10,000 for the Let
Me Shine Performing Arts
Centre fundraising appeal, as
he is one of the leads for the
project.
Mark said: "I believe
passionately in how the
performing arts centre will
provide transformational
opportunities for young
people with complex autism
at Prior's Court and further
afield.
"This is why I am taking on
this somewhat intimidating
challenge."
Ethan rocks out at Olly Murs gig
Epic 24-hour cycle challenge looms
Scan the QR code
to donate.