Chickenshed advises how to create a 'big society' at Westminster
8:30am Friday 23rd July 2010 in
AN INCLUSIVE theatre group was invited to the House of Commons to help shape the Conservative doctrine of a ‘big society’ this week.
A delegation from Southgate-based theatre group Chickenshed, whose ethos is that society should work together regardless of ability and disability, urged MPs to continue to fund community groups.
They, along with charity Global 21, were featured guests of the Macmillan Room on Monday.
Chickenshed performers put on a show of Perfect Woman, written by the theatre’s writer in residence and cerebral palsy sufferer Paula Rees, and Sermon, which features a live recording of the sermon given by Reverend Joyce Daley at the funeral of murdered teenager Shaquille Smith in 2008.
The pieces were on the theme of an inclusive and just society – the title of the meeting – and were proceeded by a debate with MPs.
Paul Morrall, director of education and outreach at Chickenshed said the meeting took place at the same time as a reading of the Academies Bill in Parliament, which limited the number of MPs in the audience.
However he said Southgate MP David Burrowes, now a parliamentary private secretary, would continue to act as a link with legislators.
He said: “David Burrowes said Chickenshed have been doing the big society for the past few years now.
“People are separated so early on in their development. If they go to mainstream and special schools from the word go they don’t have much connection with their peers. We run projects where the two work together.
“In a big society it is very important to recognise the groups in communities doing excellent work. We wanted to make sure that the Government doesn’t take them for granted, by supporting them and funding them. If the big society is a way of saving money through getting everyone to do things, we are always saying if you are funding adequately for that then smaller groups will set themselves up.”
Mr Burrowes said: "Chickenshed are the embodiment of a big society because they rely on and foster voluntary and community support. Through its truly inclusive cast it tackles significant social issues head-on and challenges the audience to not just leave their performance entertained but to be engaged in the very issues they have seen performed. "I will ensure as PPS that Chicken Shed and other voluntary groups have all the information and opportunities to lead the big society in Enfield."
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