In the mid-1990s, musician and songwriter Sir Richard Stilgoe and neurologist Dr Michael Swallow started a pilot offering disabled people the opportunity to take part in a week of music and performance.
These were so effective that Sir Richard decided to start a place where disabled people and students could work together for longer than a week – to change their own and other people’s lives by creating new music and performing in public.
The Orpheus Centre opened in 1997 at Sir Richard’s former family home in Godstone. Surrey.
Orpheus originally started with just five disabled students who lived on-site, learning to cook, manage budgets, do laundry and go shopping.
They also wrote songs, devised dances and challenged people’s preconceived ideas about disabled people whenever and wherever they performed. Some of those original students still work with Orpheus today, helping to raise awareness of the organisation at events.
Orpheus now has 66 students, the highest intake to date, which is a testament to the popularity and need for the specialist education which Orpheus offers. There are 21 flats on site and students come from across the UK.
Performance students have performed in venues all over the country including the Royal Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, Glastonbury Festival, Notting Hill Carnival, the Paralympic Opening Ceremony, The Royal Festival Hall, and appeared in hit TV show Call The Midwife.
The visual arts students have been commissioned by professional art organisations and had their work exhibited. The dancers have performed at many events including the All England Dance 100th
Anniversary Gala at the London Coliseum.
In 2023 we celebrated Orpheus’ 25th anniversary year. We are excited to see what the next 25 years hold for Orpheus.
We achieved an Outstanding rating from Ofsted and were awarded the Disability Confident Leader Status to champion employment of disabled people.
The Orpheus Centre. North Park Lane, Godstone. Surrey. RH9 8ND
