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= The Orpheus Centre = The Orpheus Centre is an independent specialist college in Surrey, UK, focussed on developing independence skills through performing and visual arts to make improvements to young disabled adults’ lives.

History
In the late 1980s, musician and song-writer Sir Richard Stilgoe and neurologist Dr Michael Swallow started piloting music weeks for disabled people.

These were so effective that Sir Richard decided to found a place where disabled people and students could work together for longer than a week – to change their own and other people’s lives by creating new music and performing in public. The Orpheus Centre opened in 1998 at Sir Richard Stilgoe’s former family home in Godstone, Surrey

Orpheus started with five disabled students who lived on site, learning to cook, manage budgets, do laundry and go shopping. They also wrote songs, devised dances and challenged people’s preconceived ideas about disabled people whenever and wherever they performed.

By 2019 Orpheus had 28 full time students living in independent flats, as well as around 20 day students. The students are all motivated by the performing arts and have performed in venues all over the country the Royal Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, Glastonbury Festival, Notting Hill Carnival, the Paralympic Opening Ceremony, and the Royal Festival Hall and appeared in hit TV show Call The Midwife.

Services
Orpheus believe that every young disabled person should have the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers and offer a personalised study programme focusing on building independence, communication and social interaction skills through the arts, supported housing and a personal care service. Students are between the ages of 18 and 25 and have learning and/or physical disabilities. They stay at Orpheus for up to three years.

Orpheus take a lead in finding new and effective ways of working in the arts, learning and social care sectors. The impact and ethos has engaged and inspired visitors to the college and helped it benefit from a steady stream of help from arts professionals, tutors, support staff and volunteers. Orpheus students have performed at the House of Lords, the Royal Albert Hall and venues across the UK and worked with schools, prisons, community groups and businesses to break down barriers and challenge stereotypes.

Orpheus have a maximum of 25 students who live in supported housing on-site and a further 25 students learning subjects like English, Maths and IT alongside the arts and independence and work skills. The focus is to deliver a personalised study programme to meet the needs of other students and enable them to develop the skills to live independently and seek paid or voluntary work opportunities in arts-based industries as well as associated employers. Orpheus offer a range of qualifications working with awarding bodies such as Ascentis, Trinity College, LAMDA, OCR, Gateway and the London College of Music.