In April 2011, the MVMF part funded a week-long visit from The Orpheus Centre to High Down Prison. Orpheus provides opportunities for young disabled adults to promote personal development through performing arts, so they gain the skills to live independently in the community and to make informed choices about their futures.
The disabled young adults who went to High Down each day worked with some of the prisoners, under the guidance of Richard Stilgoe (who founded Orpheus) and a couple of his brilliant musical assistants, to write songs. These were recorded and each of the prisoners got a CD to send to their family. They also sang them all at a concert on the last day of the visit. It was very enjoyable and moving, with a lot of singing and playing skills from all the performers. Many of the songs were very personal, about much missed children, partners, friends and even a dog. One song about what they were not going to miss about life in prison got a lot of laughs from the inmates, who formed the majority of the audience.
A quote from the day I particularly remember. One of the Orpheus staff said that it only took a couple of days for one of the prisoners to articulate the thought that he would be able to walk out of High Down next year, but the guy he’d worked with from Orpheus, in a wheelchair, had a life sentence.
Desmond McCann, MVMF supporter
