Clarice Cliff pupils' shine bright in Longton Carnival
On Sunday 21 April, primary students from Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff took part in the annual Longton Carnival and Pig Walk Parade.
The parade, produced by Urban Wilderness CIC, celebrates a local story from the 1880s when the Mayor of Longton, John Aynsley, raised money for Queen’s Park and Longton Hospital by driving a pig through the centre of Longton.
Urban Wilderness is a pioneering arts organisation that creates artistic and thought-provoking projects in overlooked public spaces. They’re passionate about public spaces being democratic extensions of the community, representing those that live there.
Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff children were delighted to take part and have been taking part in weekly activity sessions with Urban Wilderness CIC to prepare for the community parade.
Across five weeks, the pupils aged 7-11, have been getting crafty making everything from headpieces to costumes to wear in the parade. They’re thrilled to represent their school and community as they celebrate the local area and its history in ceramic production.
Laurel Gallagher, Co-Director of Urban Wilderness CIC, designed the school engagement programme and said:
“It’s such a joy to come back to Clarice Cliff for the second year of the parade. When we came last year we were only there for one day and many of the children had never seen a carnival before. This year we came for five sessions and saw real development of their work. Urban Wilderness CIC have been working with Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff since 2019 and always look for ways to include them in their projects and events. The Urban Wilderness team are huge supporters of the school, their community ethos and all the wonderful work they do with local children and families.”
School's Workshop Support facilitator and felt hat maker, Holly Johnson, has been helping the children create carnival costumes and also shared her experiences of working in the creative community as part of the school's Careers Fayre:
“This year, our aim was to include the children heavily in the design process, character creation and making of their costumes, to increase their confidence in performing. We ran 5 weekly workshops at the school - called Carnival Club - where 45 children tried items, practised their movements and made suggestions for what animals they could be. These became squirrels, parrots and butterflies!
The amount the group had grown in confidence, from the first session to the fifth, was incredible. They all danced around the hall to carnival music, expressing how excited they were to take part. It was brilliant to watch the children's confidence and excitement grow with each session, and the feedback we received during these workshops was great. Children expressed how they found it ‘inspiring’ and that they would definitely do more creative making or performing in the future.
We can’t wait for next year, and hope that everyone involved enjoyed Carnival Club and the parade as much as we did!”
Check out the children in action below:
