Pupils and older people get together to showcase songs and stories
Eighty schoolchildren came together at St Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury, on Thursday, November 27, to perform spoken word pieces and songs they had created with care home residents and older people. It was the culmination of a two-month programme, run by Pentabus.
Anna Mullock, class teacher at Newcastle CE Primary School near Craven Arms, commented, “It was wonderful to see the intergenerational conversations and connections. The older members of the community absolutely loved coming into school. On the day of the show, I watched pupils transform from nervous, shy children into confident performers who owned their place on the stage. It was amazing to watch this happen.”
Participants were invited to explore friendship, community, storytelling, wellbeing, and what it means to call Shropshire home, in a series of workshops that took place at care homes, led by Henry Maddicott (poetry and spoken word) and Rhian Jackson (songwriting).
A parent added: "I enjoyed every moment - what a great experience, hearing the children and old people speak about Shropshire."
Another commented: “They were so wonderful - the children were sparkling."
Pentabus worked with students from the following schools:
Bryn Offa CE Primary School
St Lawrence CE Primary School
Rushbury CE Primary School
Newcastle CE Primary School (Blue Hills Federation)
St Mary’s CE Primary School (Blue Hills Federation)
Pentabus brought them together with older people from the care settings including:
Barchester – Field House Care Home
The Sandford Nursing Home
Onny Cottage Care Home
Brooke House Care Home
As well as other Shropshire communities.
Joanna Freeman, Head of Engagement at Pentabus, said: "It was an absolute joy to witness the creativity and confidence of Shropshire’s school children as they filled St Chad’s Church with their own songs and poetry. The energy, imagination, and courage they brought to the stage, and their reflections of time spent with older people across the county during this project, created a heart-warming celebration of what it means to call Shropshire home. It was a real reminder of how art can bring communities together”.
As well as Home Is Here, Pentabus has just opened applications for its Young Writers Programme, a free part-time script-writing course for aspiring writers aged 18 – 30 who are based in Shropshire, Wales, and the West Midlands. The course culminates in a professional performance at the Young Writers Festival in July. The application deadline is 9am, January 5th, with more information available here: pentabus.co.uk/local-young-writers
