TEIGNBRIDGE Council's new chairman, Cllr Beryl Austen, has chosen The Helen Foundation as her charity during her year of office. The foundation was launched in January as a memorial to 24-year-old Helen Kirk, who died in a road accident on her way home on Boxing Day after a Christmas visit to her parents in Shaldon. Miss kirk, whose father Roger is the principal of Dawlish Community College, was an actor performing under the stage names of Helen Owen-Taylor and Helen Hezel. During her short life she loved acting and was passionately committed to the power of the arts making a real difference to young people's lives. Her theatre-in-education (TIE) work in Britain and abroad showed her first hand the importance of stimulating children's imaginations and sensibilities and how arts activities of all kinds are uniquely able to do that. After her death, her family and her boyfriend, Ben, set-up The Helen Foundation as a new charitable trust to support the aspirations of young people who live in Teignbridge – where Miss Kirk grew up and loved so much – especially those lacking financial support. The young actor had benefited greatly from the dedication and encouragement of teachers and coaches in the schools, colleges and drama groups she attended. They included Shaldon Primary School, Teignmouth Community College, Exeter College, Shaldon Theatre Company, Tykes, The Teignmouth Players, the Dawlish-based Acting Up group and the Devon Youth Theatre. The foundation provides prizes in schools, free arts-based workshops and bursaries, to encourage and support young people to pursue their ambitions.
