Accentuate

Another busy couple of months have flown by. Things are really taking off with Accentuate and this newsletter and our diaries reflect that!  We have attended some really productive and interesting meetings, including making a presentation to the Legacy Trust Board.  We were delighted to get a real sense of enthusiasm and support from them, to help us progress with our aim of creating a cultural shift.  There are some key people on this board so we are confident we are moving forwards towards our goal.  We have also had useful meetings with SEEDA exploring Accentuate’s role at the heart of the region’s economic development.  Esther has joined the National Accessible Tourism Forum based at DCMS, which is a great opportunity to get the National picture of Tourism in the lead up to 2012.  We feel Accentuate has a lot to offer this group, as we are working across so many sectors so can share learning of best practice across the board.

One of the most exciting events was the launch of the Olympic and Paralympic Mascots at Stoke Mandeville.  Emma was extremely jealous that Esther attended and got a prized book and pin commemorating the event – which may be worth millions on ebay one day, but of course she would not be parted from them! 

We also had our first meeting with the 5 Our View Core Advisors.  We have a really dynamic team on board and we found it almost impossible to keep to time as there was so much to discuss and so many ideas to share. We have a group of people with diverse ranges of experiences and opinions but what unifies them all is a desire to bring about change and encourage opportunities for more deaf and disabled people to get involved and be valued.  We will introduce you to the Our View Core Advisors in the Our View section.

We are also pleased to introduce you to Accentuate Ambassador, actor David Proud, who some of you may know as EastEnders’ character Adam Best.

This newsletter is going to follow a slightly different format and rather than just featuring one project, we are going to talk a little bit about all the projects that have opportunities available imminently for artists, athletes and young film makers.  There are too many exciting things going on to choose just one.  Therefore we are combining the sections FYI – opportunities and events, with Featured Project.

Please remember to keep checking our website between this and the next edition of Accentuate news, as we are frequently updating the site with new events and opportunities.

All the best

Esther and Emma