The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for the South West of England. Established in 1993, SWFTA's core collection comprises of the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and TSW (Television South West). The archive also cares for a significant number of donated film collections, both amateur and professional, dating back to the early 1900s.
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St Loye's Toymaker
St Loye's College graduate says never say die until you're dead!
From the collection of:
Overview
Charles Symons explains how he became a toymaker exporting goods all over the world after recovering from debilitating illnesses and training at St Loye's College for the Training and Rehabilitation of the Disabled in Exeter. Symons received his diploma in 1959 after gaining a grant to retrain. The College offers ongoing support to its students who come from all over the British Isles.
Only daughter of General Sir Redvers Buller, Georgiana Buller raised funds and opened St Loye's Training Centre in 1937. Buller ran the Red Cross Hospital in Exeter in 1914 and recognised the need for rehabilitation and went on to establish the British Council for Rehabilitation. Today, St Loye's Foundation is a registered charity working to transform the lives of disabled and disadvantaged people and the original St Loye's site in Exeter has been redeveloped. Buller was seen as an early disability rights' pioneer often speaking out on the subject. She once said, “In nature there's no blemish but the mind. None can be called deformed but the unkind.”
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