Yarrow Housing :: quality of life for people with learning disabilities

Yarrow exists to improve the quality of life for individuals with learning disabilities through the provision of care and support including innovative "day" opportunities and housing solutions.

We are a forward thinking, flexible, solution based organisation working with a variety of partners including local authorities, health authorities and registered social landlords.

Yarrow is a Registered Social Landlord, having achieved registration from the Housing Corporation in November 2001.

The people who use our services are central to what we do and how we develop as an organisation. To this end we are constantly striving to find new ways of improving user involvement

What do BAFTA winning actor Bill Nighy, learning disability charity Yarrow and Bollywood have in common? ...

...Coping Strategies; a 26-minute film, which premiere's at the Riverside Studios, West London on 16th October has the answers.

Coping Strategies is a surreal black comedy, produced by Yarrow's Moment by Moment Theatre Company, which combines a wry look at the world of community care with homage to several movie genres.

The film tells the story of Shahid, a young man with learning disabilities, who breaks free from his doting mother for a new life of romance, independence and indulgence. However, the effects of the Ramadan fast on him and his obsessive and antisocial flatmates; Jerry and Wilson, conspire with the mysterious Paris Stilton, to drive him to distraction and a showdown worthy of his Bollywood Heroes.

The film stars Yarrow service users, staff, and supporters, and features a guest appearance by BAFTA Award winner Bill Nighy. Playing a social worker Bill Nighy said:

"Because everyone is on an equal footing in the Moment by Moment Theatre Company, they stop seeing themselves as a person with or without a disability. They simply become just actors working together."

Set up in 2000, Moment by Moment is a unique social enterprise theatre company which is designed to integrate actors with and without learning disabilities, in a fun and exciting environment and offer them and their audiences ambitious and entertaining live experiences

Gillian Merron, Cabinet Office Minister with responsibility for social exclusion issues, who will be attending the premier, said,

"I am delighted to be attending the premiere of Coping Strategies, a groundbreaking film with an important role to play in challenging perceptions about people with learning disabilities and raising awareness of their contribution to society amongst a wider audience."

Tickets for the premiere and a DVD of Coping Strategies are available from Jessica.Howey@yarrowhousing.org.uk or download the order form below:

Coping Stragtegies

Download the order form.

For more details see our press release