The Project
Who Cares? was inspired by the personal experiences of our project team visiting loved ones in care homes. During and after the Covid-19 pandemic, we became painfully aware of the negative image of care home residents in the media. We felt that they were all too frequently portrayed as anonymous, helpless and even burdensome victims. We wondered where the positive stories of unique, full, rich lives were - so decided to create our own!
Who We Are
Tooting Arts Club was born in 2012 and its mission is to create shared experiences through live performance and events in the SW17 community, giving easy and affordable access to the dramatic arts for those living in and visiting this South London postcode.
Debby Lee,
daughter of Freda Lee, Care Home participant
“It is also a wonderful legacy for our family as we are very accepting Mum is at the last stages of a full and happy life and to have this content available for a time beyond her years with us, is something we will treasure, and I can’t explain how special this is for us.”
The enthusiasm and commitment of our amazing partners have made this project possible.
We would like to thank staff and residents at Beulah Vista, Lyle House, The Meadowcroft, Nightingale House, Westwood House and Woodlands House care homes for their support and participation in the project.
We would also like to thank staff and students at Burntwood School in Tooting and The Norwood School.
We are very grateful to the Bishopsgate Institute and the Wandsworth Heritage Service for agreeing to house audio files and transcripts from the oral history interviews.
Thanks also to Sarah Gudgin, Rib Davis and Trinity Court Nursing Home.
And finally a huge thank you to our funders, the National Heritage Lottery Fund.