Review of 2012: Revealing the creative side

2012 saw PDDCS members, young and old, share their creative skills. Here is what we had the pleasure of posting.

Poetry
Inspired by submissions from deaf teens in 2011 and work presented to the 'Life and Deaf' collection, some members plucked the courage to put pen to paper and record their poetic musings. One young member even took to the stage in a local mainstream poetry evening to present his poem. 

Imran's 'Untitled'
Imran's 'Haunted House'
Ayesha's 'Some girl I am'
Zaimah's 'Start new life'
Zaimah's 'Bright'
Dean's 'Blessed - from a deaf student 20 years on'
Andrew's 'Thanks to the workshop taskforce'
Zaimah- Zaimah Sonnet
Anon - 'My boyfriend'
Dean's 'Jack Hunt'
Andrew's 'Andy's Answer'
Fatima's 'About me'

Each poem reveals the hidden talents of the PDDCS members and they are all well worth the read.
We look forward to publishing some new pieces in 2013


Personal accounts
The personal stories from young deaf members touched many readers which is reflected in the many posted comments:
Fatima's 'All about me'
Chyanne's 'I'm deaf, so what!'
We can't forget the new columnist- A mother's diary



Artwork
Various art talents were developed at the Family Fun Day which also featured the work of Jamie 'Lloyd' McCullough- a deafblind artist as well as the creative caricatures of a PDDCS member, Imran, in his role of resident artist and artistic support of young Fatima.


In addition, 2012 brought the launch of Chyanne's art blog and the first PDDCS comic strip submission.

Music
With the Music and the Deaf sessions going from strength to strength throughout 2012 the success of the Summer concert has lead to the young people being invited to perform at a wide range of events in 2013. Watch this space for updates of those events.

Drama
With Jacob Casselden's input, the PDDCS members are preparing for their first Deaffest submission. Earlier this year young William Palmer showcased his acting skills with a Bergerac remake.

I suspect 2013 will reveal even more hidden talents from the many skilled and creative PDDCS members!

Review of 2012: On the web

2012 was the best year ever for PDDCS News website and December was the best month ever with over 11,000 pageviews! In total, the site was viewed almost 70,000 times in 2012 and these were the most popular posts..

Watch: Deaf Teens Hearing World

BSL Dictionary App

Be part of a world record!

Family need help following fire

I'm deaf - so what?

What does a cochlear implant look like on the inside?

Signing toddler video

Android Fingerspelling App

International signs for Facebook

We also welcomed on board two new columnists, revamped the page and opened lots of new sections. Next year we'll be looking for a new local young columnist so if you think you can write - or sign to video - next year could be your year! 

Thanks to the PDDCS Committee for their support for the site and a special big thank you to TQ who does so much. Also thanks to Deafread for sending readers our way, the awesome Ni Gallant and the talented anonymous mother who write columns for us.

Next year we'll be looking to grow the site some more with a target of getting to 20,000 pageviews per month and generating some good revenue for the charity via advertising..get tapping TQ!

Review of 2012: Famous Faces

2012 saw plenty of well known faces on PDDCS News for one reason or another. Here is who we had the pleasure of meeting through the year.

Charlie n' Ted's Excellent Adventure
In September we had a visit from Film-maker Ted Evans and journalist and screenwriter Charlie Swinbourne. Ted Evans directed the award winning film 'The End' and Charlie is a regular writer for the guardian and edits the UK's leading deaf website Limping Chicken. They both came down to explain how they built their careers.

Deaflympic dudes 
Also in September we bumped into gold medal winning Deaflympian, Nick Beese with his partner, TV presenter, Lilli Risner and their daughter Ava who is the star of an internet viral video where she displays her signing skills at only two...Over a million hits!

John Smith Peebo
In October, internationally renown deaf comedian John Smith came to town to entertain the crowds and help raise £800 for PDDCS. John impressed the people who came along and even came for a beer afterwards before going on tour to Norway.

West End Boy
West End Actor Jacob Casselden made his way to Peterborough in November to kick off a series of drama classes to help prepare our youth group for film making and Deaffest. Jacob, who is the brother of our Toddler Group leader Amy, will be coming back in Janaury so if you fancy learning from the best .. look here.


Paralympic pals
Also in November, Paralympic Judoka Ian Rose popped down. Ian, who has won won two Paralympic, five World Championship and nine European Championship Medals inspired the kids and told them: 'Focus on what you can achieve in life and do it to your full potential'.




Evelyn Glennie
On the 10th November, PDDCS took a trip to Leicester to see percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie (she of international fame). Dame Evelyn is also profoundly deaf and took the time to meet our members after the show. How cool was that?



Only the most famous man in the UK right now.. 
Just a few weeks before winning the BBC's Strictly come dancing, Louis Smith took inspiration from our members, Chloe Peacock and Charley Stokes. They were both nominated to meet him as he switched on the Christmas Lights at Peterborough's Hampton Shopping Centre. The place was packed with plenty of local support for the girls!

I wonder who'll we'll meet in 2013..

Review of 2012: Award Winners

In the first part of a series of posts looking at PDDCS achievements in 2012, first up we look at award winners. 2012 saw three of our number receive awards for their outstanding contribution.

Legend John Recognised
At the PDDCS Fun Day back in May, outgoing President John Cheetham was awarded with a specially inscribed tankard from PDDCS to recognise his contribution to our society for over 20 years. John still remains on the committee and focuses on projects including Music and the Deaf.

Stephen's award

In June, Youth member Stephen Sear was commended for his excellence on work experience at Crighton's Car dealership in Peterborough. He was able to apply the knowledge he gained from his motor vehicle course during an award winning two-week work experience period.


High Q TQ
In July, PDDCS Committee member and website writer TQ,won the award for Best Support for Children with Special Needs at a glitzy ceremony at the Key Theatre in Peterborough. TQ was recognised by the local authourity for her work and in typical TQ style, she shared the credit: "This award is great but I have to pay tribute to my fantastic team who do so much too. I see this as an award for us all. Not to mention the fantastic children who make it all worthwhile" she said.

Golding Standard

Then in October, PDDCS member and volunteer Chyanne Golding won Deaf Teen of the Year for the Cambridgeshire area. Chyanne was presented with the award at the Moving On Event in Cambridge.  She won the award for her outstanding contribution. This is what they said about her: "She has been an inspiration to her mainstream peers as well as many children and adults (both deaf and hearing)." 

Tara is a leader
Finally in December, another one of our youth members and volunteers, Tara Forkin was recognised for her outstanding leadership and support for other students at the Jack Hunt School which she attends.

At the award ceremony she was was recognised for her work with students and other activities that include completion of a Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award and assisting at the Disability Sports Club and Disability Sports fixtures. Well done to all the award winners!

Next up: 2012 Famous Faces.