Unscene Suffolk is a community arts & music project for visually impaired people aged 18+. We run an accessible singing group, arts workshops and promote access to cultural events for visually impaired people in Suffolk, England, UK.
Our singing group meets weekly on Monday afternoons in term-time, in central Ipswich (at the NW2 Studio behind the Wolsey Theatre). Our volunteers can meet you from local trains and buses. We sing songs of all styles, which we learn by ear. Large print word sheets and audio tracks are provided. New members are always welcome – come and try us out! We do perform locally (often at St Lawrence’s Café in central Ipswich!), and although we enjoy performing it’s not obligatory, as we primarily sing for wellbeing, and for fun. The tea break is an important part of our sessions!
Here’s what one of our regular singers says:
“For me being part of Unscene Singers has realised a long-felt desire to be part of a choir, something I would never have managed to access mainstream. The sessions provide a crucial couple of hours of escapism, offering all its members the chance to sing and have a great deal of fun on a level playing field. I truly don’t know what I would do without it.”
Interested? Email Emma.unscenesuffolk@gmail.com for more information or ring 07712 006852. We are also keen to find volunteers from the west of the county (Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds areas) who can assist participants with travel to sessions – please let us know if you may be able to help!
Unscene Suffolk has put on a number of drama productions over the last 10 years, the most recent being Finding Ever After at the Gallery Studio in Ipswich. At present Cohere Arts is leading on drama workshops and productions for visually impaired adults in Suffolk – for more information on upcoming drama workshops please see https://coherearts.org
We are currently looking for new members and volunteers to join our weekly workshops. Click here to find out more
Unscene Suffolk relies on charitable funds and is currently generously supported by Suffolk Community Foundation (Birketts Grantmaking Programme, the David and Jill Simpson Grantmaking programme and the Co-op Community Cares Grantmaking Programme). If you would like to support us and feel you are able to make a donation please visit our Just Giving Page. Your help is very much appreciated.
Photo shows Unscene Singers performing at Trinity Park in March 2024, for Suffolk Community Foundation’s annual public meeting. Photo shows the singers standing in two slightly curved rows, with Emma on front at the keyboard. The singers are facing a seated audience. On the wall behind the singers is a large screen showing the Unscene Suffolk logo and pictures from SCF.
PAST PROJECTS
- Unscene Singers performed several times in 2024 – for Suffolk Community Foundation, at St Lawrence’s Café, and at Christchurch Mansion.
- Unscene Suffolk presented Finding Ever After at The Gallery Studio Ipswich on Friday 24th June 2022 at 7.30pm and Saturday 25th June 2022 at 2pm and 7:30pm.
- At the start of the pandemic BBC Upload set up a partnership between local Upload shows and the British Library called Lockdown Upload. Norfolk Upload have chosen Unscene Suffolk’s audio production The Mystery of Syleham Manor as one of just 5 recordings they are submitting to The British Library Lockdown Upload Digital Library. Unscene Suffolk’s first audio play will be available to future generations to listen to for many years to come.
- We are very pleased to say that our postponed production of The Mystery of Syleham Manor, written for us by Pat Whymark, was adapted and created ‘virtually’ as an audio performance. Check out our Drama Project Blog to find out how we managed it, and you can listen to the play here! We have also just launched The Mystery of Syleham Manor on Scenesaver, which is a great place for us to reach a wider audience and share our work with fellow creatives. Check out our Scenesaver page and listen to the audio play here
- Unscene Suffolk’s first virtual lockdown project was Unheard Christmas Tales, created jointly (for the first time) by our drama and singing groups. We present a compilation of sketches and songs that take the listener behind the scenes at Christmas! Read more here.
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Unscene Suffolk 