Mary writes the (sometimes) weekly newspaper The Daily Mary (see her Facebook group for examples) and is a prolific artist who is constantly producing interesting, innovative work, she is also a regular contributor to Video Drama and a stunning singer and performer (when we can get her on a stage).
AMY - "Hi my name is Amy I come gate mostly everyday I enjoy coming to gate. I have 2 favourite things that I like doing at gate they are singing and doing art."
Amy's relatively new to the Gate but slotted in almost immediately and has already starting writing and singing songs and playing the uke. She's also taken on the role of office girl and makes sure our register is filled out properly and that everything runs smoothly.
FRANCIS GRAVITY - "When i singing its over you i wanna be with you i will turn you on forever on my dancefloor sometimes anytimes you got me love inside my heart i thinking over you ever forever on dance floor sing on your side the way you hold me the way you do better take it it round take it ground everyday anyday the crowd applause me over brands on my brands its your chance control me hold me love me take it round take it on my ground ever forever on dancefloor".Francis is one of our hip-hop heads though getting him out of the fridge for long enough to record something is proving a bit difficult. Currently working on that though with production from 2DECKS (see below).
Darren is an amazingly intuitive musician and a born performer, he is currently setting the LonDon music world alight with his hip-hop show; Darren is our music ninja and produces every aspect of his own tracks (See his bandcamp page here) but is also a major contributor in our Gate house band.
CLARE - "Hi name is Clare and I am a lesbian with learning difficulties. I writing my own songs and I singer it on Friday and I do art as well . I love come to the gate because my mates are here and I have a good time."
Click here to hear Clare sing Irish Beauty Song, here to check out some of her artwork and here to check out Sexuality and Relationships in the Lives of People with Intellectual Disabilities: Standing in My Shoes, a book that contains a chapter on homosexuality and learning disability that Clare contributed to.
EDDY THE DRUM KING - "My name is Eddy and I do drumming in music, I like playing Bob Marley and hip hop and soul and all types of pop music. I like playing computer games. I like the Gate because it's close to where I live and I'm not too fussy."Eddy is our human drum machine and has been the driving force behind all of our big shows. He's our resident comedian with one of the biggest, most infectious laughs you've ever heard.
Mark has been coming to the Gate for a long time, mainly for our discussion group and to hang out, he is amazing with dates and if you give him a date and year he can tell you the day of the week that was (as long as it falls in his lifetime), he's never wrong.
Labake never stops singing and you always know when she's about to appear because there's a song in the air, she's also a keen artist and works with cardboard and found objects and whatever else is around to create intriguing works which explore her Nigerian identity and her status as a single mother with a disability (Click here to see Labake's Russian doll family), she's also a regular in our Video Drama episodes.
MANDY - "My name is Mandy and I also have mild learning disability, I like the people at the gate who come to me for advice, I do the groups, I like music, art and also police training when we go to Hendon to train the dectectives how to become better detectives."Mandy is our unofficial peer mentor and our service user representative when we work with the Metropolitan Police - keep your eyes peeled on the blog as Mandy is working on a post about our involvement with the boys in blue.
JACKIE THE RIPPER - My name is Jackie the Ripper and I come to the Gate to shoot my gun in Video Drama and I kill Arlo, I do Art too and I draw flowers. I like the Gate lots."
Anyone who's seen our Video Drama will know that Jackie is our resident executioner, she loves a gory story and is always on hand to end our episodes with her trusty gun. Jackie is also one of our most singular artists in that she has a picture that she draws (her flowers) and week in, week out she draws the same one, she's a lady who knows what she wants and how to get it. To see an example of Jackie's flowers please see here.
MORE PROFILES TO COME.
