British disabled actor joins Ready Willing & Mobile 2011 competition as judge
From
Mobility Roadshow UK:
As the Ready Willing & Mobile 2011 competition opens for entries Jan. 10 Desperados and EastEnders actor David Proud (pictured) joins the panel of judges. Keen to encourage inclusive thinking in young people David has been an enthusiastic supporter of this competition over the years and last year presented prizes at the awards ceremony held at the Mobility Roadshow on National Young Disabled Person’s Day.
"Having met previous winners I have been amazed at the creative thoughtfulness of young people today. Some of the ideas have been extremely simple, but ingenious and have the potential to be life-changing for disabled people such as myself," says David.
This annual competition is open to all young people aged between 7 and 16. This year it has a new outdoor theme, calling for bright ideas to help people with disabilities gain easy access to and maximum enjoyment from woodlands and forests. Think not only about wheelchair users: sensory, learning or memory impairments can also affect a person’s experience of outdoor spaces in different and challenging ways.
It encourages a visit to local woodland to think about all that you can see, do, touch, feel and smell. Then to imagine those activities if you couldn’t kick or jump into the leaves without help, explore the area fully because of mud or fallen trees, hear the birdsong or the leaves rustling or see the beauty of the trees through the seasons. If an actual visit is not possible, a virtual woodland tour can be taken at www.visitwoods.org.uk
The annual Ready Willing & Mobile competition is organised by national charity Mobility Choice. It is divided into two age categories, 7-11 and 12-16, with a winner and runner-up in each age group. An outright winner is then chosen from the two age group winners. Entries can be from individuals or pairs and should be in the form of a drawing, painting or diagram (max A3 size) accompanied by descriptive text.
Visit www.mobilityroadshow.co.uk/competition for full entry and prize details. Winners will be announced at the Mobility Roadshow on National Young Disabled Persons’ Day, 2nd July.
Ready Willing & Mobile 2011 is supported by Aspire, DisabledGo, Holiday Inn, Penguin, Phab Kids, the Royal College of Art, STAEDTLER, Vauxhall and the Woodland Trust. “Some of our sponsors have supported us since 2005, others join this year: to them all we extend our sincere thanks for helping us to raise awareness that disabled people need the same opportunities, they just sometimes need to do things differently,” commented Jacqui Jones, Executive Director, Mobility Choice.
