FIRST DESIGNS FOR THE TRANSPORT ROOM

Maria touches up yesterday's painting so the walls look perfect.

Now Ed uses white gloss paint on the window sills.

Rache, Blue and Robin get ready to begin the design work.

Blue wants this room to be the TRANSPORT ROOM.

Blue is an expert on transport.

He knows the name of every kind of aeroplane, every helicopter, every truck , every motorbike , every make of car.

And he draws in a way you have never seen anyone draw before.

His drawings are marvellous.

He is in charge of the design for the TRANSPORT ROOM.

Rachel carefully paints Blue's drawing.

Some of our group get paid. They are known as the "starves".

Here are three of the starves:

Tristram, Jess, and H.

A SECOND COAT OF PAINT

This week Ed is putting on the second coat of paint.

He is helped by our two volunteers Nassar and Zayna who paint the ceiling.

At first Andrew is nervous of coming into the room with all the dust sheets on the floor.

He paints with both feet safely outside the room.

But after a while he comes into the room and even tries out the long handled roller.

At the end of the day Rache wraps the wet brush in a plastic bag so we can use it again tomorrow.

The second coat of paint is finished.

The room looks much brighter now.

THE PAINTING BEGINS

Danny in a boiler suit.

Ed chose a light blue for the walls.

Dawn Blue they call it.

Danny and Rachel begin rolling on paint.

We had a lot of ideas for themes for this room.

In the end Blue came up with the best idea.

This will be THE TRANSPORT ROOM.

WE START WORK

Our first job is a children's room on the first floor.

The room is quite dark at the moment.

Andy and Blue show all the materials we bought at the DIY shop.

They begin work filling in holes with Polyfilla.

Rachel mixes a Sugar Soap solution for washing the walls.

Andy washes the walls with the mixture.

Ed clears up at the end of the day.

WHO WE ARE

THE PAINTERS AND DECORATORS are a group of 10 adults with moderate to severe learning disabilities working with a team of artists.

We are also known as 19 Plus and are a part of the charity Cambridge House in Camberwell London UK. We are funded mainly by Southwark Social Services.

One month ago we began work on an ambitious project to redesign and decorate ORIENT STREET RESPITE UNIT. Orient Street caters specifically for children and adults with learning disabilities providing temporary overnight accommodation for up to 8 people at a time.

By working together and splitting each job into smaller manageable components we form an original highly imaginative team capable of producing top quality work.

This blog will be an ongoing record of our work at Orient Street.

Please feel free to comment and send messages of encouragement.

OUR FIRST VISIT

RACHEL outside Orient Street

Blue outside Orient Street