Live Inclusive Poetry.

Accompanying the launch of this fledgling October festival, LIP, was a delicious array of cakes and enough tea to wet any ones whistle. But if you could keep your eye off the cakes and your ear on the poetry there was plenty else in the offing. Hosted by Peredur Centre for the Arts in East Grinstead this pioneering event combined the arts of painting,writing, speaking and clowning with the creative word in celebration of National Poetry Day. Nose to Nose was there to run an afternoon workshop of clowning, where the fool was at liberty to splash in a spring of syllables. Created by Louise Coigley of LISnTell and her invited colleagues this event will be back with an even bigger bite next year.

Clowning at a medical conference

Carol Thompson and Vivian Gladwell were invited to appear in front of around 200 GPs, medical surgeons and specialist during the annual meeting of the West Kent Medico - Chirurgical Society on 10 October 08. The presidential address by Dr Wheeler was all about clowning and many reflected that the society had never seen the like in more than 150 years. Great interest and appreciation was expressed for our work.

Post-graduate training with GP - Oct 08

The article on Nose to Nose in the British Medical Journal - June 08, raised some interest amongst GP trainers and we were invited to give a three hour long workshop to around 20 post-graduate GP trainees. Much of our work offers essential insights into important inter-personal skills that GP need and also generated important discussions how how doctors cope with the stress and responsibilities of their profession.
It's a very promising area of research.

Working in Poland with Special Needs - Impressions from the workshop 2-3 June 08

Carol Thompson, Paul MacDonald and Piotr Bujak were present.
The workshop took place in Theatre Nowy. There were about 100 people. Most of them performing at the festival or taking part in the lectures and presentations. More than half of them were special needs. We did name games, mirrroring exercises, and crossings, stick - dance, scene one and time for questions. People took part in the exercises. We had positive comments and people fell in love with our work.

Email from Piotr - 3 June 08

Clowning at the Fondation Perceval – Saint Prex, Switzerland 17-19 August 08

Fondation Perceval is a Camphill centre with a school and training centre. We have been teaching clowning at Perceval for about four years now. Our work has been received with great enthusiasm and interest both for the great group dynamic it nurtures between colleagues and for its important contribution to understanding the professional roles we play.