A documentary
commissioned by Prior's
Court has won Best Short
Film at the Royal Television
Society East Awards.
At a ceremony in March, the award
was accepted by Richard and Rachel
Prendergast - founders of Submotion
Productions - who directed and
produced the film Let Me Shine at
Abbey Road.
The 12-minute film follows the journey
of eight of our young people, who are
profoundly affected by autism, as they
travel to London's iconic Abbey Road
studios to record their own song - Let
Me Shine, in 2019.
The film calls for acceptance and
understanding for those on the autistic
spectrum and sees them overcoming
enormous challenges to be a part of
the production - the culmination of
months of rehearsals and preparation.
The video serves to both highlight the
harsh realities of living with autism,
told first-hand by some of the parents
- but also to demonstrate in a very
uplifting way the extraordinary things
these young people can achieve given
the right support.
Prior's Court Chief Executive Mike
Robinson wanted to create the film to
promote understanding and awareness
of those at the far end of the spectrum
who are often under-represented.
He said: "The young people at Prior's
Court all have severe autism and
complex learning difficulties, which
means that everyday tasks and
activities we take for granted can
be really tough. Sensory differences,
anxieties, and difficulty communicating
can lead to challenging behaviours and
crisis situations.
"But that shouldn't mean that they
can't lead fulfilling lives and access
extraordinary experiences because it
might be difficult.
"At Prior's Court, we want to give
our young people the opportunity to
achieve their dreams just the same as
any other young person of their age."
The documentary has also been
nominated for the Charity Times
Awards in the Charity Film of the Year
category, the winners of which will be
announced later this year.
Award win for our documentary
The refurbishment of residential homes for
young adults at Prior's Court has concluded
- completing a full residential upgrade
across our whole site in just over three years.
In February, Dove Cottage (one of three residential homes
in Prior's Court's Young Adult Provision) re-opened after a
refurbishment.
All three of the YAP residential homes on-site at Prior's Court
were refurbished over the course of six months, at a cost of
£300,000.
This also means within the past three-and-a-half years, all
16 of the residential homes at Prior's Court have either been
newly-built or have received significant refurbishment to
create a better environment for the young people that live
within them.
Mark Bailey, Prior's Court Estates Manager, said: "It has been
a substantial project to refurbish so many of our homes over
the course of 36 months.
"Being able to provide our young people with a pleasant,
safe place to call home is hugely important to our approach
to educating and caring for young people affected by
severe autism. Providing our young people with the right
environments to suit their needs contributes significantly to
the wider framework of allowing them to thrive.
"These homes are also the workplaces of the majority of
Prior's Court staff members, which makes it doubly important
to have them feeling clean, modern and looked-after."
36-month homes refurb project concludes
@PriorsCourt