Our stories

“I came in for a chorus but then I got all these other roles helping. I could push boats, I could push coffins! I pushed a lot of things on and off stage. I love that responsibility. I thrived on it. For me, it was otherworldly. We all got to where we had to be on time, we all knew what we needed to do, and then we went and performed. We had that professionalism, but also that wonderful air of camaraderie and fun. A perfect recipe. I had no time to think about my problems or things that have happened in my life. All of the horrible stuff which spends most of the day in my head, it was out. For the first time in a long time, I was actually just sort of living in the moment, and the moment was glorious, it was beautiful.”

When we come to the end of a project, we don’t ask people to fill out forms – we ask them to tell us their story.

Read some of our stories below to see the impact of Old Fire Station, Oxford. Names have been changed to protect anonymity.

Want to find out more about how we use stories for evaluation? Click here.

"I have more belief in myself, that's the main thing."

Read Tara's story.

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"It’s like the colour coming back into the world. "

Read Krissie's story

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"Every one of those people just filled me with hope."

Read John's story

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"A play! The power of Art!"

Read Jessie's story

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"Talent doesn’t have to be handed out to someone with a silver spoon."

Read Carlo's story

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"To me, this is a whole experience, and it’s really done something for me."

Read Steve's story

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