This film is part of Free

C.A.R.E

A village for the mentally impaired, with residents working on a local farm in a progressive project aimed at a fully flourishing life for all.

Documentary 1971 15 mins Not rated

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Overview

This is a fascinating film of a progressive experiment that emerged in the 1960s and that has now been lost in the mists of time. Filmed by members of the equally progressive School of Film and Television at the Royal College of Art, it shows caring for what were then called “the mentally handicapped” in a specially formed “village” near Tiverton. Developed in 1966 by the charity CARE, it was founded by Peter Forbes, with residents actively integrated into the local community.

The School of Film and Television at RAC faced strong competition when the National Film School was set up in the old Beaconsfield Film Studios in Buckinghamshire the year that this film was made. The editor of the film, Richard Woolley, went on to make a series of innovative films. The “Village” was situated at Blackerton House, East Anstey, Devon. CARE (Cottage and Rural Enterprises) had a similar village in Shangton, Leicestershire. Both closed in 2008, despite petitions and residents of 30 years, as councils decided to support care in the community rather than in residential homes, and local buses stopped. Blackerton House is now an Ecocentre. CARE later became Self Unlimited and merged with HTF in 2013.

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