Project summary
Created by up to 250 local school children aged 8-11, the Book of Thetford is part fictional imagining, part actual guidebook, the project is large scale piece of social-engaged practice that invites its predominantly adult audience to see and experience a town or city through the eyes of some of that place’s youngest inhabitants.
Funding sources and costing
Fully funded by the Norfolk and Norwich Festival £20,000
Hire of Carnegie Rooms £300
Project networks and services provided
LCEP Board Member(s) leading this project: Louise McLeod
Norfolk and Norwich Festival
Providing staff with CPD and resources for the project
Providing photographers to capture content within school
Creating content to promote the impact of arts residency within schools
Admirals, Drake, Norwich Road, Redcastle
Teachers delivered lesson content to the children and the children were able to work on the material of the book during the Autumn term.
Schools chose 4 children to become the official book editors and those children contributed to the final design of the book.
Andie Field and Beckie Darlington
Book of Your Town authors who worked alongside the Norfolk and Norwich Festival to help create the package that has been delivered to schools. Andie and Beckie helped finalise and publish the book.
Outcomes
The project is an opportunity to look beyond the familiar and the predictable - to see the sights that children deem important, to follow both their favourite walks and their favourite ways of walking, to navigate through real and imagined streets in their footsteps. Whether you are a visitor or a local resident, this project is a way of expanding what you think you about a place an invitation to participate in a conversation about the very different values and meanings that adults and children ascribe to the things they encounter in the world around them.
Pupils
had an opportunity to reflect on and document their unique experiences of the place they live.
were able to describe the distinctive texture of their own lives and to challenge adults to think about the space they enable children to take up in the world.
worked with a range of high quality creative practitioners.
collaborated with peers across the town supporting their future transition into High School.
had their work published and saw it celebrated and valued by their town community
Community members, had an opportunity to reconsider the narratives of importance that shape our perception of that place. Who decided what is or isn’t worth seeing? Who makes decisions about what places are worth preserving and what can be allowed to fall into ruin or disappear completely? Who tells the stories that define the identity of our towns and cities, and how can we begin to empower people to tell new stories, and challenge those with power to listen to them?
What our pupils had to say:
“I like telling stories and this has helped me to build those skills.”
“I liked the sculptures because I liked sharing about my family and the people who inspire me.”
“I liked that I had a chance to express my ideas about our town and that they were listened to.”
What our teachers had to say:
“I loved the opportunity to venture into the whimsical and fantastical with the kids - a side we don’t get to explore often enough.”
“The Book of Thetford helped us to see a side to our kids and to understand how they see their place in the community and wider world.”
“There was a great variety of activity and inquiry that felt fresh and appealing.”
“The way the project brought together so many areas of the curriculum was inspiring and inspired us with how we could deliver learning in an engaging, meaningful way.”
Legacy
The book is now available to share with the community of Thetford, opening their eyes to the children’s view of the town. These insights will be shaping our future work, including the planned sculpture trail.