Latest news

Launching our Gamechangers Leadership Profiles – marking Disability History Month

DIY Gamechangers is DIY’s Creative Leadership Training Programme, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. It is making a difference by increasing the opportunities available for creative leaders with lived experience of learning disability. Now, DIY Gamechangers have created a series of profiles that express our individual identities as leaders. The profiles have been launched on a special […]

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Photo: Festive Greetings with our new song

Festive Greetings with our new song

We Shall Overcome 2020 has been an extraordinary year. DIY members have not been able to perform or work in our normal ways but we have continued to be creative and to connect with others and to share our work widely. To round off 2020 DIY actors have created our own version of the protest song and […]

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Photo: Let’s Celebrate UK Disability History Month 2020

Let’s Celebrate UK Disability History Month 2020

To celebrate UK Disability History Month this year, DIY launches Free Following Patient 36 Resources. – Go straight to the Following Patient 36 Resources page. DIY created a Digital Story and now we launch our complimentary Resource Pack. This is intended to help schools, colleges and other organisations to celebrate / explore issues relating to […]

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Photo: Circus Tricks: The Animated Series!

Circus Tricks: The Animated Series!

‘Circus Tricks!’ is a Circus Inspired Music & Drama Project created by DIY Theatre Company’s Passing the Baton Groups. Supported by The National Lottery Community Fund, Passing the Baton* is for young people with learning disabilities aged 10 – 30 years.  Thanks to original funding from Salford CVS, we were able to visit The Lowry […]

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Photo: Silver and Gold Arts Award success!

Silver and Gold Arts Award success!

We have some very exciting Arts Award News! Even during Lockdown, our incredible Passing the Baton* Young Leaders continued to work on their Arts Award journeys. We have two Silver and a Gold to celebrate! Not an easy thing to do whilst they were not able to meet, deliver workshops or perform in the ways […]

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Photo: Following Patient 36 goes online

Following Patient 36 goes online

Telling the Following Patient 36 story online – in film, sound, text and images. When Covid-19 meant we couldn’t perform live, we decided to make an online version of our ‘Following Patient 36’ story. Following Patient 36 is DIY’s current show. It explores Learning Disability History and the resilience of people with learning disabilities. The story […]

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Photo: 4 New FREE courses – which one will you join?

4 New FREE courses – which one will you join?

4 exciting courses – all for free and all run safely using Zoom. This September we will run sessions using Zoom so we can stay safe and connect online. Click here to see a ‘How-to-use-Zoom’ Easy Read guide. Many thanks to Learning Disability Wales for the use of this resource. You will need access to a phone, computer or […]

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Photo: Join DIY this weekend at 3 fantastic festivals!

Join DIY this weekend at 3 fantastic festivals!

DIY tour the country this coming weekend! Kicking off at Manchester Histories Festival on 5th September, then down to Watford on Sunday to perform at Enrich Festival then up to Gateshead to join the Lawnmowers for Connect LD+ … and all without leaving Manchester. Manchester Histories DigiFest 2020 Friday 4th and Saturday 5th September Due to Covid19 […]

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Photo: Creating Safely – Together in our Separateness

Creating Safely – Together in our Separateness

Together in our Separateness Visual Artist Claire Hignett has made ‘Together in our Separateness’ for DIY. Claire has been working with DIY for many years. Recently she has been running our Making for Theatre and Print and Stitch classes. When these were cancelled, because of COVID-19, we asked Claire to make an artwork thinking about […]

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Photo: Join DIY for the Premier of our new film on July 17th

Join DIY for the Premier of our new film on July 17th

“I Wish Everything Was Back to Normal!” DIY members have made a new film which will be Premiered on Friday July 17th. Working online with film maker Hilary Easter-Jones, different DIY members have recorded sections which are brought together in this film. The film gives members personal views of their experiences of Lockdown. At 12.30pm on […]

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Photo: We’re still creating… during lockdown!

We’re still creating… during lockdown!

Even though we are all in lockdown and can’t meet face to face, DIY members have continued to be amazingly active and creative during this challenging time. Some of the things we have been doing include: Resource Packs Every week DIY has sent out resource packs to our artists and regular participants. Some of these have […]

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