PASTEL: Food, Glorious Food!
April - June 2008

The first series of workshops in 2008 focused on food hygiene and prepararation, with the opportunity for clients to gain a national  Chartered Institute of Environmental Health certificate (Level 1). Working in competing teams - the Green Peppers vs the Red Tomatoes - clients had fun learning not only about food hygiene and food preparation but also addressing the PASTEL desired outcomes of building their self-esteem and confidence and gaining skills in communicating, decision making and team work. Learning came through food-themed games and quizzes, restaurant role-playing drama sketches and working in the workshop kitchen. Ten clients volunteered to take the CIEH Level 1 exam and seven passed.The other three will receive attendance certificates. All certificates will be presented in July and later in the year, there will be an opportunity for re-sits and others to volunteer to take the exam. The whole exercise proved extremely popular with the clients and hopefully they will be helping more with cooking at home!

PASTEL: Sport in Drama Performance November 2007

Following the Stakeholder's Workshop, attendees were invited into the hall to see a short drama production with a basketball theme. The group not only performed to the accompaniment of the latest appropriate pop (rap) music but also took the opportunity to sport their latest PASTEL hooded sweat-shirts (hoodies). As with the puppet show, all the clients had a hand in selecting the music and their outfits (through the PASTEL Client Panel) as well as shaping the storyline. Althouh this time the public performance was to a much smaller intimate audience it was more public ie no shadow puppet screen between them and the audience - demonstrating the growing confidence of the participants.

PASTEL: Shadow Puppet Show

October 2007

On October 25th, the PASTEL team delivered their shadow puppet show "The Princess and the Penguin". The PASTEL Puppet Show was an original PASTEL client production especially created for the Saxmundham Arts Festival. The show, aimed at a primary school age group, incorporated shadow puppetry, music, poetry and singing with a little audience participation. The show was delivered to an audience of around 90 children, parents and grand-parents - as part of the week-long Saxmundham Arts Festival. The group had come up with an original fairy story, created the characters, puppets and props and acted in the final performance. The PASTEL clients had worked together as a team, communicating their ideas and making all the key decisions. It was very much their own show and their self esteem and confidence was boosted by the very enthusiastic audience response - and they were immediately booked for next year by the festival organisers!