March 2024

Blue Apple were delighted to receive a Mayor’s Award on 7 March at Winchester’s Guildhall in the company of many other deserving winners. Accepting the award on behalf of Blue Apple were performers Anna and Dan accompanied by Trustee Duncan and staff members Becka and Pip. Congratulations to all who are part of the Blue Apple family - performers, trustees, volunteers, ambassadors, our patron, staff team, production teams, freelancers audiences, partners, sponsors and donors who all make it possible.

November 2022

On 3 November, Blue Apple was delighted to receive the award for Best Use Of Technology in the South Coast Business Awards 2022 at St Mary’s Stadium, the inspirational home of Southampton Football Club, and in the company of the best of businesses across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. This award acknowledged the success of Blue Apple in sustaining activities and delivering performances in the face of extraordinary challenges during the pandemic.

October 2022

Blue Apple’s Chair Emeritus has been awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of Winchester in recognition of her enormous contribution to Blue Apple and the wider impact of her work in supporting people with learning disabilities.

Georgiana was chair of Winchester’s Blue Apple Theatre for almost seven years, and a trustee prior to that. In her time as Chair Georgiana led Blue Apple Theatre as it spread beyond Winchester and moved into film and dance. Countless additional adults with learning disabilities have had their quality of life, and their life chances, enhanced by Blue Apple thanks to Georgiana’s strategic vision and exemplary leadership and energy (for much of the period giving two days a week).

Georgiana now supports Blue Apple in her new capacity as Chair Emeritus.

July 2022

Blue Apple Theatre is a finalist in the Local Business of the Year Award category at the Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards.

The Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards have announced the finalists for fifteen award categories, shortlisting Blue Apple in the Local Business of the Year Award category.

June 2022

On 23 June 2022 Blue Apple was delighted to receive the award for Digital Transformation in the South Coast Tech Awards 2022 at Ageas Bowl, presented by comedian Lucy Porter. The South Coast Tech Awards recognise the impressive technology of the IT and telecoms community in our region.

As the only non-tech finalist, Blue Apple was delighted to be announced the winner of the category and presented with a beautiful, engraved glass award by Richard Thompson, Managing Director at The Business Magazine. Blue Apple was also privileged to be invited to make the first award winner’s speech of the night. Professor Edward Rochead, Chairman of Blue Apple Trustees, thanked the hosts and judging panel for the award and reflected on Blue Apple's success in overcoming many of the challenges presented by the Covid pandemic.

June 2022

Blue Apple wins Digital Innovation Award at the Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. in recognition of the technical solutions that the theatre company used to engage participants and deliver performances during the challenges of lockdown. This was a time when the participants, who all have a learning disability, were particularly at risk from the damaging effects of social isolation and loneliness.

Winners were announced at a special awards evening on 9 June at the University of Winchester where Blue Apple was represented by Professor Edward Rochead, Chair of Blue Apple Trustees and Anna Brisbane, a performer who joined Blue Apple Theatre when it started in 2005 and who has been in over thirty productions beginning with small parts and progressing onto leading roles.

December 2021

Blue Apple’s Development Lead Daisy Robinson was invited to attend the Royal Carol Service held on Wednesday 8th December by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge. This was to recognise her charity work during the pandemic for Eastleigh Youth & Community Trust. Daisy set up a lunch club on wheels service for vulnerable people that provided more than 4000 hot and healthy meals. She also arranged for the provision of Christmas Lunch (prepared and delivered by volunteers) to 50 individuals who, without our support, would have been alone and without food on Christmas Day. 

November 2021

Jane Jessop, founder of Blue Apple, received her award of the Badge of the Order of Mercy for distinguished voluntary service conferred on her by The League Of Mercy Foundation. The award was made in a ceremony at Mansion House, a Grade I listed building in the City of London that is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. Jane told us that the event provided a valuable opportunity “to speak to very interesting people, hear their stories and share why the vision of Blue Apple is so important to us all and how lives have been changed.”  Jane originally founded Blue Apple in July 2005 to help facilitate her son Tommy’s love of acting as the nearest theatre company for people with learning disabilities was then in London. 

July 2021

Tommy Jessop received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Winchester at 8.30pm on 19 July 2021.

Tommy is an experienced Shakespearian actor and co-founder of Hampshire based Blue Apple Theatre. Working with Blue Apple, Tommy Jessop became the first actor with Down syndrome to play Hamlet on mainstream stages.  Tommy is now a multi award-winning film and television actor whose first film, Coming Down the Mountain, was BAFTA nominated. He was the first actor with Down syndrome to play the lead in a primetime TV drama, the first professional actor with Down syndrome to play Hamlet and is the first actor with Down syndrome to become a full voting member of BAFTA.

Blue Apple’s artistic director Richard Conlon said “The whole of Blue Apple Theatre are rightly proud of Tommy for blazing a trail and for opening doors. The company he founded with his mother, Jane, has changed lives by offering up high-quality performance opportunities for people just like Tommy. By telling stories and entertaining audiences locally and further afield, we become part of a bigger, joyful, national conversation about what everyone can do if given the chance.”