NCEA Harry Hotspur Primary Students Bring Alnwick’s Local Stories to Life

Through hard-work and community spirit, the school has managed to raise £762.20 to help towards improving educational opportunities for pupils at the school. The project supports the school’s initiative to connect learning with the world around us and our community. In line with NCEA Trust’s commitment to community engagement, pupils and staff collaborated with families, residents and local traders to celebrate the uniqueness of Alnwick, teaching students the value in appreciating their local history and community. It’s been an enriching learning experience for pupils, giving them space to express themselves through creativity whilst providing them with the opportunity to connect with and contribute to the living history of their hometown whilst fundraising for their school.

Our Journey is a project that connects the ongoing work within the school with local voices, gathering insights from a variety of people within the community, allowing the students to explore the town’s living history and resilience, fostering connections to local heritage and the people who are helping to shape the character of Alnwick today. The idea behind the project was inspired by two authors; Aaron Becker who wrote the wordless book ‘Journey’ which challenges children to put their imagination to the test – and Peter H. Reynolds, author of ‘The Dot’ which conveys an important message encouraging people of all ages to be brave and encourage each other on life’s journey.

Speaking with the newly appointed Headteacher, Mr John Macfarlane reflected on the whole school project; “It was fantastic to see the incredible contributions from both the children and the community. We were delighted to see their hard work celebrated by an excellent turnout at the exhibition. I’d really like to say a big thank you for the generous donations from local businesses who contributed fantastic prizes so that we could raise so much money for the school.”

Student contributions

Students from Year 5 and 6 took part in an interview where they reflected on their future goals, inspirations and favourite parts about school. In response to the question ‘What is your favourite thing about school?’ one of the children said “I love history because I love learning about things that happened in the past”. Another child said that they enjoyed school trips the most because it was fun and recalled a time they visited York and its archaeology centre. Meanwhile, a child in Year 6 explained “My favourite thing about school is playtime because we’ve got really good outdoor equipment”.

When asking the children who inspires them in their lives, the responses were diverse. A pupil in Year 6 replied “Miss Wilson, she’s the Year 5 and 6 teacher. I’ve had her for 2 years now, she’s a really nice person and makes lessons fun. Last year for history and science, we did an experiment where we mummified a tomato! Plus if you’re having a bad day, she’s always there for you so she inspires me”. Another child agreed and said “Miss Wilson inspires me too, she’s always making sure everyone is happy and having fun, making sure no-one is left out”.

A child in Year 5 shared “My friends inspire me. They’re always taking care of me, I am a bit sensitive around some things and they’re always there to make me happy”. Other children were inspired by authors, with one sharing “An author named Dav Pilkey makes loads of my favourite books and it makes me want to be an author”.

Some of the independent projects the children embarked on included one child building Alnwick Playhouse out of Lego, inspired by their passion for both Lego and performing arts. “I really like Lego and have been going to Alnwick Playhouse for 4 years now, as I love drama and doing shows - There’s even a reading club and you get an award from the mayor to encourage you”.

Other creative projects included stories about journeys to Alnwick Castle, Alnwick Gardens, Lilidorei, Barter Books and even a poem about Willowburn Swimming Pool. One child built a model of Alnwick Castle, featuring a working castle gate and little figurines of Harry Potter. Meanwhile another child built a very creative Barter Books model.

When speaking with families from our school’s community, it was lovely to hear tales of previous students:

“In 1973, I played on the school football team. I remember we were taken to matches by our Headteacher in an old converted ambulance!” – Brian

“I enjoyed my time at the school in the mid 90’s. I am now the housekeeping supervisor at The Hogs Head.” – Emma

“I loved attending the school and I’m now a Travel Consultant” – Amy

Local Stories

When speaking to local businesses and traders of Alnwick Market who provided some interesting perspectives into the town’s history, speaking of legends, curiosities and personal journeys…

The pupils asked questions such as “What brought you to Alnwick”, “What is your favourite journey you’ve been on”, “What is an interesting story you’ve heard about Alnwick” and “What is your favourite thing about our town?” Some of the responses were extremely insightful into the warmth and diversity of Alnwick’s community and history.

Richard, owner of Snapper Photography who claims he has heard “There is a legend of a vampire who roams the grounds of Alnwick Castle”. We also spoke to the owner of Making History, Graham who spoke about the history of the market “I believe there is a clause in Alnwick which states there must be a market on these grounds as there has been one here for over 600 years. I’ve worked at markets across Europe and Alnwick is the best, it’s fantastic I love it”.

Amy, owner of Nova Quartz shared her curiosities about what lies under the cobbles of the market square; “You can see through the little cracks in the floor and I often wonder what secrets are down there! I would love to know more about the market”. All of the traders we spoke to shared their adoration for the community of Alnwick, with Amy stating “I just knew I needed to be a part of the Alnwick Market Community, we’re like a big family here”. The spirit of the market was also captured during interviews with Carly, owner of Aroma Roots who said “The community is so friendly, everyone looks after each other”.

Brian, owner of Nature’s Finest Fruits said “The people are what brought me to Alnwick, they’re so friendly and I get some very eccentric customers who are absolutely lovely”. He also kindly donated vouchers for Heighley Gate Garden Centre as prizes to win at the exhibition on July 16th.

Heather, owner of The Chirnell’s Farmhouse Kitchen shared that she has worked at Alnwick Market for over 24 years and said “It’s a brilliant market, especially since Tracy took over, she’s brought it back to what it used to be”.

Pupils from Harry Hotspur Primary’s Ceilidh Band contributed a beautiful performance at Alnwick Market for the traders and community. The children love playing their musical instruments all around Alnwick and are very proud to do so, having previously performed at Alnwick Castle, Alnwick Gardens, Lilidorei and St Michael’s Church. This was a great opportunity for the children to immerse themselves in the community and to contribute to the wonderful atmosphere of the town’s market square.

The owners of Grannies Tea Room, Martina and Andrew shared an interesting business origin story as part of the exhibition;

“Grannies is a family business and has always been owned by married couples since being established in 1984. The building is very old, with deeds from the 1500s, and we preserve much of the original décor, including paintings from previous owners. We are the only business in Alnwick with a hand-painted sign and a public basement. It’s our first business and was sold to us in 2013, but it was founded on the day I was born coincidentally. After buying the building, we discovered my husband’s grandfather bought his grandmother's engagement ring here when it was a jeweller in the 1970s. It feels like a full circle!”

With special thanks for their generous contributions:

M & S Alnwick, Sainsbury’s Alnwick, FM 4 U, First Class Supply, Milk Education, Alnwick Castle, Alnwick Family Hub, The Market Tavern, BML Hairdressing, MKM Alnwick, Slimming World Alnwick, Alnwick Gin, The Farm Bakery, Warkworth House Hotel, Morrisons Alnwick and Nature’s Finest Fruits.

Visit the school's website harryhotspur.ncea.org.uk to learn more about the school and the recent exhibition.