Write to the editor

Due to unforeseen circumstances, former Super Middleweight champion boxer Joe Calzaghe has had to withdraw from the events in Bahrain and Qatar. However, Sports Speaker MENA has acquired the services of footballing legend Stuart Pearce, right, to fill the date.

Come and enjoy a fantastic evening and hear about Stuart’s career in his own words.
 Pearce’s in-depth and humorous tales spanning a great career at Coventry City, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and, of course, England, are not to be missed.

What better way to get warmed up for the FIFA World Cup than to enjoy an evening with an England legend?

Lewis, by email.

* Editor’s note: Pearce will be in Bahrain on Thursday, April 10 from 8pm at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa. Tickets cost BD25 including dinner, a performance by a UK comedian,a prize raffle and a football and boxing memorabilia auction.

For tickets, call 00973 3451 6455 or email sportsspeaker@outlook.com
* More listings in Leisure Guide 

Thank you so much for your support of the Intergulf Netball Tournament through GulfWeekly.
It was a brilliant weekend and there has been so much positive feedback.
 
It was great that so many countries supported us and had faith in Bahrain.
 
Helen Edwards,  by email.

Thank you for the lovely article on Fuad’s photo collection – it was covered well and I thought it was a lovely story.

Nadia Al-Aali
Marketing and Sponsorship Officer,
St Christopher’s School, Saar Campus.

I enjoyed reading about the teacher’s collection of old Bahraini images, some of which were KSDi copyright. For more details about our electronic archive, please visit www.ksdigallery.com

Nader Shaheen,
KSDi.

The brainchild of the Arts department at the British Council Bahrain, Art-Abled was created to ensure that children with disabilities are provided with a platform to showcase their capabilities and given equal opportunities to contribute to the community.

In 2009 the first Art-Abled project was launched to support the teaching and involvement of disabled people in artistically-therapeutic projects. The aim was set to develop skills of disability teachers and carers, create opportunities for children to express themselves and build their confidence, as well as challenge perceptions and raise awareness around people with disabilities in Bahrain.

Art-Abled started as a humble art exhibition showcasing the works of children with disabilities and learning difficulties and has now blossomed into a week-long event filled with international artists, exciting performances, therapeutic workshops and body mapping sessions.

This year, the fourth edition of the project promises to be bigger and more impactful than ever. The British Council has partnered with Al Riwaq Art Space and several other institutions, including government and private centres, to promote disability art and shed more light on the issue in Bahrain.

There will also be a live performance by award-winning artist Rachel Gadsden, below, left, who is renowned globally for her work despite her disability.

A series of six workshops based on techniques developed by Rachel aims to ensure engagement with a wider segment of society and provide teachers and carers of disabled children with the opportunity to develop skills and learn new techniques.

Children create art because it is rooted in their need to relate to the world; hence we truly believe that these workshops and art programmes make a difference in their lives and the lives of their families and carers. Our future plans are expanding and we hope to do more for disadvantaged people, to ensure they are not marginalised in our community.

Rayyah Fathalla, project manager – Arts and Schools, British  Council Bahrain.