LEEDS FAMILY’S CINDERELLA FAIRYTALE
January 22, 2010
LEEDS FAMILY’S CINDERELLA FAIRYTALE
Leeds family, the Dunns, were among 300 people to enjoy sensory-special theatrical performances at West Yorkshire Playhouse at the weekend (Please see this link for the story), funded and hosted by the Leeds Deaf Children’s Society and coHearentVision.
Mum Bernadette Dunn was delighted when she and her family were invited to attend the extra-special rendition of Cinderella, followed by an afternoon fairytale tea party at the popular theatre in Leeds.
Audio-described and sign language-interpreted performances were staged over two days for children with visual and hearing loss, which included a ‘touch-tour’ backstage to meet the cast.
Over the years, the Dunns have struggled to cope with various health issues, with mum Bernadette and her daughter, Brittany aged 11 both suffering from a bone density disorder. Her 17 months old son Joshua was also recently diagnosed with a hearing loss.
Attending with her stepdaughter, Amy, Bernadette said: “When I heard about this wonderful event for my family, I worried about how much it was going to cost for a family of four to visit the theatre, but I was delighted to hear it wouldn’t cost me anything. We have never had anything just given to us before, so I was overjoyed when the Leeds Deaf Children’s Society secured us some tickets.
“Due to the snow we had been housebound for days, so it was a welcome family outing for us. The work that the charities do is so valuable, and as huge thanks I baked over 100 gingerbread men for the tea party, which went down a treat with the kids. My children will remember this day forever.”
Brittany was also the lucky raffle winner of a Cinderella teddy bear, kindly donated by the Build-a-Bear Workshop.
Barbara Fraher, Youth Development Officer at coHearentVision, said: “This was a truly magical day, providing the chance for everyone to get involved and make new friends. It was great to see all the children smiling and having fun and the performance was outstanding. We’re really looking forward to working with the Playhouse again in the near future.”
Rob Young, Chief Executive of coHearentVision, said: “We face a lot of difficulties with raising vital funds, so we’re always looking for support to be able to host these exciting weekend and evening activities outside of school hours, which are very important for the children’s development and to provide support for their families.”
Joanna Loveday, Marketing Officer at West Yorkshire Playhouse, added: “Here at the Playhouse we are always trying to improve our services for our customers with sensory loss, so it was great to welcome such a lively group to use our audio description service, including lots of children, which is always a joy.”
Anyone interested in attending and/or supporting similar events in the future should contact Barbara on 0113 243 8328, or email barbara.fraher@cohearentvision.org.uk
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