Bel View Guest House
Going For Independence is thrilled to have received financial support from Arts Council England and the Teesside Charity to create an audio drama. This is a new venture for us, inspired by our previous project, Sea-ing Sense, when we made contact with Whitby-based Dogwood Productions, a Community Interest Company which invests all profits into creating new productions, working with communities and supporting emerging artists.
Funded by National Lottery players, our project has brought to life the Bel View guest house, in the fictitious Teesside seaside resort of Whitborough-by-the-sea. In four episodes, each created by GFI’s groups in Redcar, Darlington, Hartlepool and Stockton, the drama features a young couple as they struggle to run their recently inherited guest house.
Each week there are new guests arriving, looking forward to that traditional British seaside holiday. With the smell of burning bacon and unexplained noises from the attic, what could possibly go wrong?
About the project
Over the summer months 2025 our members created storylines and sound effects, and performed alongside professional writers and actors to bring the Bel View guest house to life.
Hidden talents were found and stars were born!
The project started in June with consultation and information sessions capturing participant experiences and introducing them to the audio drama process.
This was followed by the creation of scripts for 4 consecutive episodes, the recruitment of actors and sound effect makers from our visually impaired participants, and rehearsals of various parts.
The final workshops were carried out in August when recordings were made, plus editing and finessing of the completed episodes, followed by a special launch event.
We hope you enjoy listening to the 4 episodes!
Follow progress on our facebook page at GoingFor Independence
See more about Dogwood Productions at www.dogwoodproductions.co.uk
