BBC TV Presenter awarding Millennium Volunteer Certificates

Dedicated actors at a Stourbridge Amateur Theatre company got their rewards yesterday when they were awarded Millennium Volunteer Certificates by BBC Midlands Today presenter, and patron, Michael Collie.



Theresa Byrne and Francis Mullen, both members of the Side-by-Side Theatre group, which showcases the talents of people with learning difficulties, achieved the awards after clocking up over 200 hours of volunteering through rehearsals, festivals and drama productions.



Side-by-Side Artistic Director, Susan Wallin said: “Theresa and Francis have done fantastically well and want to dedicate the award to the group as a whole.”



“Since starting up in 1997, Side by Side have become the first group of actors with learning difficulties to achieve awards and recognition in new areas of performing arts.”



“With every performance we are proving wrong the out-dated belief that people with learning disabilities cannot deliver quality”