Sharing Stories, Standing Strong is well on its way with the creative activities taking place in libraries across Kirklees.
The wide variety of stories we've heard have been astounding! We've met rugby players with stories about their local club, we've exchanged stories whilst gardening, and we've also seen children and adults come together to sing classic Bob Marley tunes. It's very clear that everyone has a story to tell, and we've loved the past few months working with Kirklees Libraries to get people using their creativity.
We recently checked-in with Leah Clark, who works for the library service:
"My name is Leah and I'm one of Kirklees Libraries librarians and I am also supporting the project leads and Ben, our project manager on the Sharing Stories project.
"I have really enjoyed my time working on this project, I've met some wonderful, talented artists and experienced some totally new art forms in our libraries – all bringing something fresh and different to the surrounding communities and creating new opportunities for them and for ourselves to become involved in the arts as a form of self-expression and a way to talk about what our local area means to us.
"I have loved reading the weekly session reports from artists about what an impact the work they have been doing has had on local communities. I've found the work involved to have been a steep learning curve and challenging at times, however the team of brilliant frontline staff and artists working closely together have been able to bring some really exciting activities to the libraries, despite some of the hurdles we've had to overcome at times, and I've enjoyed being able to provide support to our frontline staff with this.
"Moving forward, I think the Sharing Stories project has opened up lots of opportunities for us to form long-lasting partnerships with Lawrence Batley Theatre and the artists involved and I look forward to being able to help bring the arts to libraries for many years to come!"
We also heard from one of our artists, Ruth E. Cockburn, a comedian, writer, and performance poet:
"I'm a great believer in the power of story. Sharing stories, listening to and gathering stories is something I have built a career on, so when this project was described to me, I jumped at the chance to be involved.
After the pandemic it's taken people a long time to come back into shared spaces and connect. Some young people have never even had the chance build up the skill set needed to build meaningful connections and share who they are with other people.
"That is why I think this project is an important step in helping people to come together. As an artist working with Lawrence Batley Theatre and Kirklees Libraries, I've experienced the joy of bringing my art form to new people and hearing stories that might have been forgotten. From hearing about a person's journey to rediscovering their mother tongue after its criminalisation by Gaddafi to discovering the connections make in Birkby's community garden. Small conversations or heartfelt disclosures, all are precious, and all are important. In a community that is increasingly isolated we need to make sure we keep listening to each other and sharing our stories.
"With all the stories I've heard so far, I aim to create my own piece of writing whilst encouraging people to do the same, so that even when this project is over the legacy of creativity continues."
If you wanted to come along and meet Ruth, learn about stand-up comedy, and share your own story, she is holding four free ‘Stand Up Comedy Classes for Wellness’ on Tuesdays from 18 April – 9 May at 2pm – 3:30pm at The Greenwood Centre, Huddersfield Road, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, WF13 3JR.
Sharing Stories, Standing Strong is running until the end of May, with a sharing of all the work created being showcased at Lawrence Batley Theatre on Tuesday 16 May.
We have drop-in activities available throughout the week in six libraries:
- Dewsbury Library
- Batley Library
- The Greenwood Centre, Ravensthorpe
- Birkby and Fartown Library
- The Chestnut Centre, Deighton
- Rawthorpe and Dalton Library
Sharing Stories, Standing Strong is an Arts Council funded project, co-delivered by Lawrence Batley Theatre and Kirklees Libraries.
