Writing Residential NCMME
In February 2019, pupils from Cathedral Academy joined the Writing Squad on a two-day residential at the National Coal Mining Museum. The group took on a trip back in time, as former miners led them on an underground tour ‘down the pit’. The young people got the opportunity to interview the miners before writing about their experience in a creative writing workshop.
The Writing Residential took history out of the classroom and allowed our fantastic group of students to get up close and personal with Yorkshire’s industrial past. Using the heritage of mining as inspiration, young people were empowered to create and share their stories with us.
The voices of the young people can be heard in this soundscape, where the young writers discuss their experience and what they have learned.
“I felt like I was heard and people kind of understood what I was saying and I was listened to – like I wasn’t just pushed aside. Like my opinion mattered. Everyone’s got their own unique way of writing, so I know that, no matter what, my writing would still be kind of unique.”