A drama teacher from City of Oxford College and University Centre has been performing a show about knife crime at the Offbeat Festival to raise money for life-saving kits. An extra performance has been added due to popular demand.
Claire Nelson who teaches Level 2 Drama at the Oxpens Road campus has been starring in MotherHood, a solo show exploring a mother’s confrontation with knife crime.
As the first showing on Wednesday 11 September sold out, Offbeat Festival have put on a second performance on Saturday 14 September, at 6.30pm at the Burton Taylor Studio on Gloucester Street.
Having experienced knife crime due to a close relative being stabbed but not seriously injured, Claire was introduced to a world which she never thought she would encounter. But rather than dwelling on the negativities, Claire decided to do something positive about it.
After attending a writing group, she wrote MotherHood, applied for Offbeat, got selected and was put in touch with a professional team for the play.
For MotherHood, Claire worked with a local charity, In-spire Sounds, who work with vulnerable young people, some of whom have been affected by knife crime. These young people’s voices were captured in soundscapes, where their interviews were cut up with music and featured in the play, creating a humbling experience for the audience.
Claire Nelson, Drama Teacher at Activate Learning, said: “I wrote MotherHood because I had a story that I wanted to tell. Having brought up three teenagers, I was aware that knife crime is a bigger problem, which I wanted to do something about.
“While researching the play and finding out about bleed kits, I found out that Oxford doesn’t have any and I thought this is a good opportunity to raise awareness and money for something which could save a life.
“As a teacher at college, I work with young people and am passionate about creating a good future for them and I thought that this is one of the many ways that I can do that for them.”
Raising money for bleed control kits in Oxford
During her research for MotherHood, Claire found out about the David Baird Foundation, a charitable organisation which raises awareness of the importance of having bleed kits available in public areas.
Bleed kits can help a member of the public potentially save a life before medical help arrives.
This can help not only victims of knife crime, but also people who suffer work-related injuries or are in road accidents.
Bleed control kits can be stored in a secure cabinet on the outside of a building, like a defibrillator, and contain tourniquets, gauze, and other medical supplies, helping to improve a victim’s chances of survival.
Claire has organised a Crowd Fund to raise money to get some bleed kits in Oxford. Oxford City Council have agreed to install two in the city and Claire hopes to raise enough money to more.
To support the initiative, join the Crowdfunder to raise money for bleed control kits in Oxford.
Find out more about Offbeat and book tickets for MotherHood
Offbeat is an annual arts festival supporting local artists and new voices, giving the public the chance to see new performances till Sunday 15 September. Find out more by visiting www.offbeatoxford.co.uk
The second performance of MotherHood will take place on Saturday 14 September, at 6.30pm at the Burton Taylor Studio on Gloucester Street. Tickets cost £10 each and can be booked on the Offbeat Festival website via https://www.offbeatoxford.co.uk/whats-on/motherhood2
