The Orpheus Centre was founded by entertainer and musician Richard Stilgoe in his former family home in Godstone in 1998. The centre promotes transition into independent living; providing opportunities for young disabled adults to promote personal development through performing arts so they gain the skills to live independently in the community and to make informed choices about their futures.
The Orpheus Centre’s core values are the foundation for all our work. They are values that are a constant in a changing world; they are what the organisation stands for. Our core values guide us in our day-to-day work, help to explain our purpose and vision and inform our decision-making. The Orpheus core values are:
1. Quality
We strive continually to reach the highest standards we can in all our endeavours
2. Inclusion
We believe in people’s rights to participate fully in society, regardless of their background
3. Innovation
We have a pioneering spirit; taking a lead in finding new and effective ways of working in the learning, arts and social care sectorsService users are young disabled people who wish to develop their confidence, independence and life skills. Service users will have a physical impairment and/or learning need, and/or sensory impairment. They also have an interest and/or passion in the performing arts.
The Orpheus Centre offers a range of complementary services.
The Orpheus College is a flexible day provision for up to 30 young disabled adults. Students can access the programme full- or part-time and start at any time. Performing arts is used as a vehicle towards independent living. There are four curriculum areas: Performing Arts, Independence, Employment and Functional Skills. Students have continuously updated, relevant targets set against these four areas. Performing arts is used as a motivational tool and offers a uniquely holistic approach that matches the diverse preferred learning styles of our students. The college offers a mix of weekly sessions and intensive projects that lead to performances in our own Barn Theatre, in arts centres and in the community.
Orpheus Domiciliary Care commenced trading in August 2009. The service currently supports up to twelve service users, with plans to increase our capacity to support further service users within the next six months. We offer a domiciliary care plus service, with trained personal assistants supporting our service users in their independence skills and to create and achieve their own person-centred plans. The new domiciliary service was inspected in November 2009 and achieved a “Good” grade.
Orpheus Housing manages two supported housing projects; Centre Court and Stone Barn. Our supported housing workers ensure that tenants are empowered to be in control of their own homes; managing their tenancy agreements and organising their bills, benefits and other domestic arrangements.
Orpheus Residential is a registered care home that provides high quality care, life skills activities through performing arts and involvement in all aspects of running the Orpheus Centre. As with our other three strands, our residential service is a transition programme designed to promote independent living for young disabled adults. The centre is registered, regulated and inspected via the Care Quality Commission. We have received an “Excellent” inspection grade from CQC for our residential services.
Over the next two years, we will be extending our supported housing and domiciliary care services and phasing out our residential services.
You can find out more about all aspects of our work on this website. If you think we've missed something out, tell us about it! You can contact the Marketing Department 01883 744664, or use the contact form to send an email. Feedback is always welcome!
