Cotton’s Farmhouse People
LENA DAVIS
LENA DAVIS is a practitioner in aspects of Psychiatry and applied
Philosophy and specializes in therapies for people with learning
disabilities and emotional problems. She is also an Interfaith Lay
Minister with a particular interest in the spiritual and faith needs
of people with learning disabilities.
For over
thirty years Lena has pioneered the use of art and music therapies to
enrich the lives of people in hospitals, schools and Day Centres.
Spreading out into all aspects of arts based therapies, Lena has led
the way in bringing happiness and harmony (in every sense of the word)
into the lives of vulnerable people. She is Director of Children’s Aid
Team which is dedicated to enhancing the lives of children with
learning disabilities, their families and carers.
Lena’s
interest in the therapeutic value of music and the arts stems from her
own creative experiences as a photographer, (adjudicator for Greater
London Arts) artist and song writer. She initially co-produced the
double platinum Number One hit record "Tell Laura I Love Her" and went
on to compose for television, stage and many performers including
Ricky Valance and Joe Brown.
Studies in
Psychiatry, Philosophy, Sociology and Comparative Religions have
reinforced Lena’s journey as a therapist and, through her writings as
a journalist, she in turn has contributed much to the ongoing
development of debate in these areas, recognising the importance of
sharing ideas, expertise and insight. She has been editor for Mind
Matters and Sky’s The Limit! And has written for such varied magazines
and newspapers as The Independent, Community Care, Therapy Weekly,
Kindred Spirit, Stage, Healing Today, Counselling News, Psychic News,
Dogs Monthly, Gay News, Toys Monthly and Yoga Today.
CAROLINE SCATTERGOOD
As a
Founder and Director of the Caring and Sharing Trust, Caroline has
combined her knowledge and experience of working for people with
learning disabilities together with her inner calmness and natural
empathy for their families and carers. She has developed a unique
brand of support for people in crisis and grief or suffering from
depression or anxiety. She is an accredited Counsellor with the
British School of Counselling.
Caroline’s
original career as a singer, dancer and actress included performing on
stage and television as one of the famous Sixties Tiller Girls. She
went on to star in cabaret and musicals from Monte Carlo to the West
End of London including the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
In the late
seventies Caroline became a volunteer at the then Friern Barnet
hospital in London and went on to utilise her talents as a performer
to teach people with learning disabilities and behavioural problems
the joys of singing, dancing and performing. She created a specialized
dance studio and Day Centre in North London, working alongside Social
Services.
On moving
to Northamptonshire Caroline helped create the Caring & Sharing Trust
at the same time as fostering two young men with Downs Syndrome. This
has helped her to understand at first hand the many trials,
tribulations and pleasures experienced by families and carers.
Caroline’s
work has been complimented and enhanced by her experience in Tibetan
Buddhism, meditation techniques and Tonglen healing. Through "Shine a
Light on Tibet" Caroline has championed Compassion in Action and, with
the personal support of the Dalai Lama and his representatives in the
United Kingdom, she plays an important role in the pursuit of freedom
and happiness for the people of Tibet so as to ensure the continuation
of the Tibetan Buddhist lineage.
Caroline is
a prolific writer for publications all over the World. In this Country
they include the Sunday Times, Healing Today, Counselling News, etc.