Jade Cook
“As a child I was shy,” said Jade Cook. “I mean, I was painfully shy. I just wouldn’t talk to people! Right up until I was 11, I didn’t want to leave my mum’s side, and I spent a lot of time hiding behind her!”
Jade was confident in her family bubble but didn’t like engaging with new people.
“My parents tried to send me to all these different groups to build my confidence, and the one that stuck was Stagecoach. It’s a huge national company which runs performing arts schools at the weekend, and I would do dance, drama, and singing; I loved it!”
Performing arts was what transformed Jade from a shy child to the star of the show. “When I turned 18, I didn’t want to leave; they practically had to kick me out!”
Having seen the power of performing arts, Jade was determined to help others experience it too. She spent her teenage years looking for a calling in life which meant she could help children less fortunate than her through a medium which had inspired her so much.
“The one career that really piqued my interest the most was Drama Therapy. I chose my GCSEs and A Levels based on that career path, and when it came to choosing a university, Worcester stood out to me.”
“They offered a joint honours course in Drama with English Language. I really found the linguistics side interesting, and they had the right drama and disability modules which I was really interested in.”
“As soon as I started, I found out about a local theatre company which ran sessions at the University’s drama studio at the weekends for people with disabilities, helping them express themselves through movement, drama and music,” she said.
“By the end of my three years, I was basically co-running it and choreographing all the dances for the shows.”
She added: “It was the first time I’d met someone who was non-verbal, and I was watching these adults reap the same benefits from performing arts that I had, they were making friends, communicating and expressing themselves.”
Jade had thrown herself into every element of university life. “I have nothing but positive things to say about my time at uni. I absolutely loved it. I always tell people that they have to throw themselves into it, join a society! Join two! Get involved!” she said.
Jade continued: “I learned a lot at Worcester about theatre, delivering workshops and communication which I use day to day now. The course gave me so much confidence, and I’ve made friends for life.”
She added: “I’ve just been asked to be a bridesmaid for one of my university friends!”
After graduating, Jade taught English through drama internationally before founding Spectrum Community Arts, a company supporting people with disabilities and additional needs.
“There’s really nothing like us,” she said. “We have people travelling over an hour to attend our sessions, and many of our participants have previously found programmes which were aimed at people with different needs but weren’t really suitable for them.”
Spectrum now runs nine clubs, and delivers workshops in schools, day centres, residential homes and more, with more than 120 regular participants, and Jade’s work was recently recognised with a BBC Make a Difference Award.
“I had no idea I’d even been nominated,” said Jade. “Learning that it was one of the mums of two of our performers who had nominated me made me extra emotional. Actually winning felt incredible, it’s so lovely to be recognised for what I do and all of the endless hard work, to be celebrated and appreciated on such a large scale feels really good.”
To learn more about Spectrum Community Arts, visit their website.
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