Case Study - Of Giants, Wisewomen, Ploughboys and Kings

Programme: Heritage Grants
Applicant: Norfolk County Council
Grant awarded: £129,500
Project length: 36 Months

Of Giants - printable (MS Word, 1.44MB)

Summary

The customs, traditions and stories of the Fens of the East of England are at risk of being forgotten to future generations.

This project used the arts to explore both the stories and seasonal customs of the Fens, focusing on midwinter traditions, with young people in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Fenland primary schools.

The children worked with experts in the field, investigating their own local stories which were dramatised, and learning the traditional Molly Dance, alongside the Ouse Washes Molly Dancers. These performances took place in each school’s village, and culminated in a packed King’s Lynn Corn Exchange where schools came together to share their learning and experiences with parents and the wider community.

There were also exhibitions documenting the pupils’ work and publications and recordings created as a testimony to this vibrant activity.

The aims of the project

To increase the knowledge and understanding of local children, young people and their communities of the value and richness of Fen heritage and traditions.
To use visual art, performance, dance, music and publications as a way for pupils to express their learning about the value of local history traditions and customs and to communicate that to their parents and siblings.
To create a lasting legacy of the heritage and the learning.

Benefits for heritage

Children and communities explored their Fenland traditions, stories and dances, helping to preserve them for the future through recordings, publications, skills, shared experience and curriculum development.
The previous perception of the Fenlands as boring and lacking in character, history and culture was challenged and overturned.
The project created a sense of pride in local customs, traditions and stories, especially amongst families.

Benefits for people

Over 9,000 people from local communities and 24 schools were involved in 30 performances and exhibitions.
Parents’ support of their children resulted in whole communities learning about, and gaining a sense of ownership of, their heritage; everyone who took part emphasised how much they had enjoyed the performances.
Head teachers of the schools that took part described the impact of the project as good or excellent, as it raised children’s self-esteem and team working skills; they noted the enthusiasm of boys for dance. One commented: "An amazing project. It enthralled the children. Teachers found it stimulating and were able to do a long project associated with it." Another noted: "The rich assortment of stories and tales of the area had not been explored in our schools before, so opened up whole new avenues [of work]."
Volunteers were brought in by schools to assist with the activities and benefitted from the project too.

Lessons learnt

Establish a fuller introductory programme for schools at the start of the project to enable clear expectations, a more complete understanding of the potential long term curricular impact and the commitment required.
Physical activity and role-modelling is very effective for children. Being apprentice Molly Dancers gave them a huge sense of pride.

Long term benefits

The involvement of teaching staff in planning the work means that the knowledge and skills acquired during the project will be retained by the schools in the future.
The project was independently evaluated and the final report is available on the Norfolk County Council website.

The budget

Main Project Costs	£	Funding	£
Short term staff	77,100	Non-cash contributions	16,800
Equipments / materials	25,500	HLF grant (88.5%)	129,500
Training and travel	3,000
Design / writing / printing education material	4,500
Volunteer labour	16,800
Overheads	15,000
Contingency / inflation	4,000
		Total costs	146,400

Students performing the Molly Dance

Sector

Cultures and Memories

Activity

Participation; Learning