Manchester: a RaW City- Libraries project
What has a works depot and a big truck got to do with reading? Its all about finding new people to introduce to reading and writing imaginatively with RaW.
Manchester Libraries have been working with the Learning Centre at our Hammerstone Road City Council Depot, Gorton, Manchester to raise awareness of RaW. To date this has included RaW Quick Reads and RaW Passions book collections to encourage reading for pleasure, as well as employees coming into Gorton Library to work with RaW on-line.
The Learning Centre is a joint Employer/Trade Union initiative (Bargaining for Skills) designed to allow employees to attend basic skills classes in works time, and has been in place for about 5 years. The classes are delivered by Adult education tutors.
In January 2007 using the theme of 'Bringing Life to Words' as part of the RaW Cities Festival in Manchester and Salford, we commissioned Craig Bradley, poet and creative writing facilitator, to run 4 sessions designed to engage participants with words, and reading and writing for pleasure.
The sessions covered life story writing, fiction, sports writing and poetry. The outcome was several pieces of writing by individual learners, and a group poem. The final session included a live broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester, with Craig reading the group poem and one of the learners reading his story on air.
The sessions were a fantastic example of successful partnership working between the BBC, who supported the sessions with funding, and the Council's Adult Education, Libraries and Operational Services departments.
Some comments from participants:
"I've really enjoyed it"
"I now get the meaning of poetry and words"
"I wouldn't have taken an interest in reading and books before this. Now I will"
"The sessions have improved my writing and my understanding of words. I look at words in a different light"
"Its helped me put words together better"
and the tutor:
"Its made our learners realise its not just about spelling and grammar - creativity and imagination are just as important."
Rosemary Ryan
Fiction & Reader Development Co-ordinator
Library & Information Services
Manchester City Council
Email:
Telephone: 0161 234 1317
