Giant baby Lily meets Rochdale school children
This week, over 240 children from across Rochdale Borough are meeting Lily – a giant baby who wants to hear what young people have to say about the future of our local environment.
The event is part of a project called Wild Wanders which is amplifying children’s voices in conversations about climate change.
The project started earlier this year with artists visiting nine local schools to deliver workshops. Children learnt about action already happening in Rochdale to protect the environment and then made flags, lanterns and moth puppets which will contribute to a series of outdoor art trails at Hollingworth Country Park in October.
When the children returned to school in September, giant envelopes arrived at their schools containing letters from Tara and her baby sister Lily:
‘My sister and I are interested in hearing your ideas for the world we will all grow up in. I am interested in what ideas you have to look after animals and nature.’
Tara invited the children to meet Lily outside the Town Hall and bring their ideas in the form of poems, artwork, performances and songs. Their ideas will be recorded and shared with over 4000 people during the Wild Wanders trails taking place at Hollingworth Country Park from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 October 2024. More information about the Wild Wanders event is available at rochdale.gov.uk/YourEvents.
Young people’s voices are also been heard by local decision makers. In July 2024, children from Rochdale schools attended a debate at Rochdale Town Hall where they decided that transport and littering should be the priorities for environmental action in Rochdale. Their views will be presented to Council later this year.
All of these activities are part of a wider programme of cultural education that is engaging, educating and give voice to young people’s concerns about the climate emergency. The programme is led by Create Rochdale (Rochdale’s Local Cultural Education Partnership) and funded by Garfield Weston Foundation.
Wild Wanders is created by Rochdale Borough Council working with multi-award winning international outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank alongside Create Rochdale, Culture Co-Op, Rochdale Development Agency, Your Trust and Hopwood Hall College and University Centre. It is funded by Arts Council England and the Garfield Weston Foundation.
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