About Me

I am 32 years old. I have cerebral palsy quadriplegia and I am a permanent electric wheelchair user. I also have severe dyslexia.
I like socialising with friends and family, going to the cinema/theatre and spending time outdoors. I thrive of new experiences and meeting people. I enjoy travelling. I set up my own website called Smooth Wheels (www.smoothwheels.co.uk) which helps disabled people all over the UK find PAs/carers to go travelling with. It also has an emergency and permanent cover PAs section, on top of these it has accessible social venues and accommodation added by members. At the moment I work as an independent living adviser helping people set up their care packages to live independently. This is a job I really enjoy but I crave for more opportunities within the arts as this is where my passion lies and I miss it a lot.

Acting

Experience

Employment History & Experience

I first became a member of Chicken Shed when I was 10 years old. This is where I got the bug for performing. I was lucky enough to perform in front of Princess Diana, an opportunity I will never forget.
When I was at school we did our version of the musical Cats. I was one of the narrators and Robert Powell was one of the people in the audience. Afterwards he came up to me and gave me a lot of praise. I was only 12 and this helped the bug for performing to develop even more.
When I was 16 I got given the amazing opportunity to work with Richard Stilgoe to write and recite a monolog which was the opening scene of the play that went on tour to advertise his theatre company the Orpheus Centre which I later became part of. At this time I was still very much a creative writer. While I was there I had the chance to meet several choreographers. Two of them were Adam Benjamin and Caroline Madden.
They persuaded me to have a go at turning my writing into dance.
Initially I just laughed as being in a wheelchair I’ve never seen myself as a dancer. After a while they dared me to give it a go and I can’t resist a dare. I created a piece called Teenage Rebels and another one called Blowing the Blues, this one I was also dancing in.
During the same time as working with Orpheus I did a small tour with Graeae Theatre Company. It was great to work with another group of people and integrate sign language in such a way into the performance.
Just before I left the Orpheus Centre I had an audition to do a year’s course in dance and performing arts at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. I could not believe my luck as I only have been choreographing for a while. Although I knew I loved it there was no way I felt good enough to be in a place like that. Richard Stilgoe persuaded me that I have got nothing to lose so might as well go for it. I wanted to give myself the best opportunity so choreographed two pieces, one without me dancing and one with. To my absolute shock I got in. This gave me so much more confidence and I met so many inspiring people, probably to this day one of the best years of my life.

Presenting

Experience

Specialist Areas

Employment History & Experience

For the last two years I have had an assistance dog/canine partner called Eli. We have been asked to do several short films to demonstrate exactly how Eli helps me. The first one of these was a film for a Japanese TV programme called Gabi for young children to help them to learn the word ‘help’ in English. Working with Eli and all the film crew was so much fun I wanted to do more of it.
The next opportunity I had came after I wrote a piece about Eli and my friend Leanne Flinn who already works in film and TV read it and wanted to create a short film for the Sraight8 competition. I was narrating throughout the whole film an edited version of the piece I wrote as we had to fit it into a 3-minute time frame. It was so great to be able to show a montage in such a creative way of exactly what Eli can do. The film got selected as one of the top eight films that got shown in the Cannes Film Festival and London.
I loved the new experience I was getting from filming as I realised this is something I can keep a copy of forever unlike theatre. I was learning a lot and it was giving me such an adrenaline rush.
I was recently approached by BBC Ouch website to do a short film called ‘My adapted life’. I grabbed it with both hands. As yet again it gave me an opportunity to show from another angle how Eli and adaptations have enhanced my life. On top of this the level of independence he gives me and how I like to experience the best out of life rather than focus on the negative. To have a look at the clip please click on this link www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/features/my_adapted_life_i_get_me_time_thanks_to_my_assistance_dog.shtml
All these opportunities made me realise that I would like the chance to try and make this my career, hence why I am on this website.

Dancing

Experience

Dance Skills

Employment History & Experience

After Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts I went on to do a dance and professional practice degree at Coventry University. I was the first woman in a wheelchair in the UK to get a dance degree. I can’t say it was easy and it took me 4 years but I am very glad I did it. This gave me the chance to get a job as one of the head teachers working with ActOne Artsbase Theatre Company. I am teaching young children and adults with autism and severe learning difficulties. This is absolutely brilliant but I am craving for the opportunity to give myself the platform to create more of my own choreography. I have got plenty of ideas but as yet no opportunity to fully produce them. One day I am sure it will happen but I am just trying to push it along a bit.

Extras Work, Partipant, Contestant

Experience

Employment History & Experience

I was in a scene in East Enders where I had to knock over Martin Fowler with my wheelchair.

Languages Spoken

Experience & Qualifications

General Experience

Qualification Curriculum Development Agency (known before as Qualification Curriculum Authority). I am a member of The Disability Advisory Group created to advise QCDA (then QCA) on the best way to promote equality in the educational environment.



You can also find me on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=704365139

Qualifications & Training

EDUCATION



UNIVERSITY 2002-2006
Coventry University
Dance and Professional Practice
Bachelor or Arts with Honors

2001-02
Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts
Performing Arts and Dance

COLLEGE 1997-98 Bedford College
1996-97 Northampton College
1995-96 The National Star Centre

BTEC 1st and National Diploma in Performing Arts

GCSE Mathematics
Science
Art
English

PRIMARY 1989-95 Lord Mayor Treloar School
1985-89 Christchurch Primary School

Other Information

Relevant Skills

I have been giving talks all over the country for several years now. The highlights of these were the talk at Earls Court and Eton College. More recently I spoke in front of Princess Anne. The subjects I usually cover are integration, education, autism, Eli (my assistance dog), my website and my dance degree.
I feel that this helped me build up the confidence to do the films that I mentioned in my presenting experience.
I enjoy the opportunity to structure the talk so it’s accessible to everybody, interesting and informative so that people feel more comfortable to ask questions. I love getting positive criticism as this means the next opportunity I have to give a talk I can deliver it even better than the time before.

Interests & Hobbies

Sports, swimming, rugby, cinema, theatre, arts, dancing, walks, socialising and going to places I have never been before.

Miscellaneous Information

Please don’t be put of by my disability as I genuinely believe I have got a lot to offer and there is always a way around everything. I really want the opportunity to do more of all the things I talked about, especially presenting. Please feel free to ask me any questions that I haven’t covered in my profile. I don’t mind answering anything, I believe I am an open-minded and honest person.