Three schools have participated in the project and this has been a great success.

St Mary’s RC Primary School - the Year 5 class took part in a workshop run by Michela Watson and Elaine Richmond from Calderdale Council’s Museum Service at Bankfield Museum. They looked at old toys, learnt about interviewing skills and thought up some questions to ask. In the afternoon six interviewees came to the school and the children interviewed them in small groups. Some of the older people stayed for afternoon assembly and were awarded good behaviour badges from the head teacher! The children wrote some lovely thank you letters to their interviewees who had also enjoyed the experience. One pupil, Abigail Tulswel, wrote that because of the sessions,

‘I have taken on board how to treat elderly people with care and kindness.’

St Mary’s pupils with interviewees

RYBURN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Six Lower Sixth students on the Millennium Volunteers Scheme took part in a day’s oral history workshop with Steve Kelly and Claire Jones from the University of Huddersfield. This was followed by an interviewing session at the school with a group of older people whose interests ranged from tandem cycling to belly dancing! After the sessions Jeanie Keld, one of the students, wrote,

‘I have realised that there isn’t a generation gap between people over 50 and young people. We all experience the same things in life.’

Ryburn Valley High students with interviewees
and Age Concern Calderdale staff