Have you heard about the one about the lion of Heysham, or the fascinating story of Ivy who fished at Sunderland Point and fed the people or what about the creation of the John O'Gaunt car and the curious tale of the potage pot?
These are just some of the amazing stories captured in 'Local Legends', written by local children as part of the Morecambe Bay Curriculum (MBC) Local Storytelling and Writing Pilot Project, and co-ordinated by the MBC Primary Storytelling Group, MBC Partnership Development Officers and Lancaster University.
Pupils from seven schools around The Bay created local myths, legends and historical stories as part of the project, designed to encourage the children and their teachers to research, write and present a story rooted in their school's local environment.
The children also provided illustrations and an array of highly imaginative photographs to help tell their stories in the A4 full colour brochure which is available in digital format and in hard copy.
The aim of the project was to help the children create place-based stories, develop their oral storytelling skills and to support their enthusiasm for and ability to write stories
Underpinning the project was the belief that rooting the story in the children's own localities, and with their local community, aligned the project with the principles of the Morecambe Bay Curriculum, ensuring education is engaging, motivating and provides deeper opportunities for learning.
The inspiration for the project followed the success and positive impact of a cross-curricular story project based on Cumbrian children's author Emily Hennessey's 'Made By The Moon', illustrated by Nina Wishia.
The 'Local Legends' project began with a session for teachers led by Michelle Cooper from Morecambe Bay Partnership. This focused on how to gather local stories and legends from local communities.
Emily Hennessey then led the second project workshop on the art and skill of creating a story.
This was attended by a teacher and group of children from each school. Emily's creation myth about Morecambe Bay had been used in in classrooms previously so the children were familiar with the story.
The second workshop, run by Independent Early Years Consultant Anne O'Connor and Steph Johnson, a Teaching and Learning consultant for Lancashire Professional Development Service, focused on helping the children to 'find their voice' as oral storytellers so they could go back to their schools and teach their peers.
Professor of Literacy Studies Uta Papen, MBC lecturer Dr Bethan Garrett, and Courtney Bromhall, a student research intern from Lancaster University's School of Social Sciences, worked with the teachers on the project, which was funded by Lancaster University's Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Division of Linguistics and English Language.
Lead teacher and school co-ordinator was Jo Easthope, the Headteacher from Overton St Helen's CE Primary School.
"We are just so proud that this has been teacher-led and a great collaboration between the University and Professor Papen and the educators on how place-based education can support building literacy and much-needed oracy (speaking) skills," said Carys Nelkon, the Partnership Development Manager for the Morecambe Bay Curriculum based at Lancaster University.
"Storytelling is a cultural legacy in this area, and this project is keeping that tradition alive. They are inheriting what has been passed down through generations."
Plans to create story trails around each participating school are in the pipeline.
Participating schools were: Carter's Charity Primary School, The Cathedral Catholic Primary School, Heysham St. Peter's CE Primary School, Morecambe Road School, Overton St. Helen's CE Primary School, Quernmore CE Primary School and Ryelands Community Primary & Nursery School
The Morecambe Bay Curriculum is an educator-led movement and a cross-sector partnership supported by Lancaster University, Lancaster and Morecambe College, University of Cumbria and the Eden Project.
Partners work together to empower children and young people to become the change-makers and innovators that our planet needs, through a community-curated, place-based approach to learning about sustainability.
