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BITS AND BOBS<br />
Photo by Kerry Joyce of Zest<br />
CHARITY BOX #18: ZEST<br />
Zest Sussex is a local project that supports adults<br />
with autism and learning disabilities by teaching<br />
them work skills. They do this via their professional<br />
valet service, based in the car park at County Hall.<br />
The aim is to increase the confidence, self-worth and<br />
work skills of the people they work with, in order to<br />
support them to go on to enter the job market. Director<br />
Kerry Joyce tells us more about what they do:<br />
“We’re funded and supported by East Sussex County<br />
Council, and we’re open for business Monday, Tuesday,<br />
Thursday and Friday in the councillors’ car park<br />
at County Hall. We also operate a mobile valeting<br />
service from St Mary’s House in Eastbourne.<br />
We take car valet bookings in advance for both<br />
locations. We’re eco-friendly, virtually waterless,<br />
competitively priced and our work is carried<br />
out to an extremely high standard. It’s a complete<br />
toothbrush finish, with each car taking three to four<br />
hours. Our aim is to have it looking as if it just left<br />
the showroom.<br />
We promote personal development skills, encourage<br />
decision making and independence, and support<br />
transition into paid employment.”<br />
Vivien Halas’ daughter Sophie has benefitted a<br />
great deal from her placement at Zest, so Vivien<br />
approached filmmaker Rosie Baldwin (who made We<br />
Rise about Delta Seven, a pop group with learning<br />
disabilities) to make a short film about a typical<br />
working day for the valeting team. “When Sophie<br />
first joined she was painfully shy, as were the rest of<br />
the team. Some were hardly able to express themselves<br />
or travel on their own. Zest has given them a<br />
purpose in life, as you can see in the film. Keeping<br />
the project funded is always tough, so I wanted<br />
to raise awareness of its importance”. The sevenminute<br />
documentary, which Robert Senior’s Chalk<br />
Cliff Trust helped fund, is being premiered at Depot<br />
Cinema on Sunday the 17th.<br />
As part of some playful scheduling, which very much<br />
reflects creative director Carmen’s approach, this<br />
will be followed by a screening of the 1976 comedy<br />
Car Wash. There is no frothier, camper California<br />
sunshine film than Car Wash. Just a mention of it<br />
and you get an ear worm from the Rose Royce title<br />
track – the score won a Grammy. It’s about a day in<br />
the life of a multiracial team of car wash workers in<br />
Los Angeles. There are cameos from Richard Pryor,<br />
Danny DeVito, and even Huggy Bear from Starsky<br />
and Hutch, (Antonio Fargas, playing the militant<br />
gay character Lindy). Some critics were sniffy, but<br />
Roger Ebert called it a ‘wash-and-wax M*A*S*H’.<br />
The Depot audience will be encouraged to dress up<br />
in their best 70s platforms and flares. Expect funky<br />
music and American diner food.<br />
Emma Chaplin<br />
For Zest car valet booking in <strong>Lewes</strong>, call Martin 07703<br />
517564. For Eastbourne, call Kerry on 07783 626655.<br />
For more info about the project, or if you know someone<br />
who might benefit, see zestsussex.org.uk<br />
Car Wash, Sunday 17th at Depot, Pinwell Road, 3pm,<br />
£9/6/4, preceded by the Zest team introducing their<br />
film. lewesdepot.org<br />
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