margaretkendall Chorlton, community writing, memories

Sweets

Hear this blog post read aloud:

We started with a few minutes to relax, get comfortable in our seats, take some deep breaths and close our eyes. Then with our eyes closed, we thought about the associations sweets have for us, with suggestions to help us to think of: 

  • memories from our own childhood, the tastes and smells of sweets we were given, where we were given them and when
  • sweets that remind us of other people, for example, children in our lives both in the past and the present, our parents, family & friends
  • sweets associated with places we know or places we’ve visited

Then we passed around a selection of old-fashioned sweets from a wonderful sweet shop in Hawes, Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dale, where I’d had the pleasure recently to step back in time to my childhood. Eating some of the sweets and talking (when our mouths weren’t full!), we shared lots of memories, most happy, others not. Read on for the stories some of us have chosen to share with you in this blog post.

Image: The exterior of the "The Old Sweet Shop" in a stone-built old building on the high street. The lettering above the enticing display in the window says "Purveyors of fine confectionery and.." with the word "tobacco" now covered over.
Image: A view of the interior of the sweet shop with rows of jars of sweets on the wooden shelves. on the counter are jars of gob-stoppers in increasing sizes.
Continue reading “Sweets” →
margaretkendall community writing, intergenerational, memories

Back to school

Hear this blog post read aloud:

It wasn’t difficult to turn back the clock to our schooldays!  

We started by sharing a word or two each about our memories and/or the emotions they stirred. This resulted in a list which illustrates the variety of our responses, both positive and negative: unpredictability, learning, discovery, stickers, administration, teachers in my family, nightmare, corporal punishment, humiliation, envy, inequality, lost friends, solidarity, structure, judgement, uniforms, crowded trains and buses, a particular teacher, a flood of memories.

 Joe Sykes then guided us skilfully in a time of individual reflection, using the prompts:

  • What experiences at school have shaped you?
  • What educational experiences did you have outside of school? (e.g. school trips, residentials etc.)
  • What happened at break time and lunch time?  (e.g. sports, arts, music, drama, involvement with the local community)

He followed this by sharing his own story, illustrated by an amazing collection of photographs, scrapbooks and memorabilia from both his primary and secondary education.  How wonderful to take part in the school production of the musical, Grease!

Image: The programme for Grease. The text reads By arrangement with Samuel French Ltd, Colne Valley High School presents Grease, March 13th, 14th and 15th 2001. Book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. There is a black line drawing of a rear view of the heads of a couple in a car, with the letter G of Grease forming the swirling hairstyle of the young man.

Then the room filled with noise as we discussed our responses in small groups. There was such a lot to say, no matter when we’d left school.  It was fascinating to get back together at the end and hear more about one another’s experiences.  Some of us tell our stories in the blog post which follows.  We hope they’ll prompt memories of your own.

Continue reading “Back to school” →
margaretkendall community writing

Gypsies, Roma and Irish Travellers

Hear this blog post read aloud:

We had a thoughtful and meaningful discussion following on from hearing Jane’s story about her involvement in supporting a group of gypsies who were being harassed. Our responses included reflections on similarities from our own experiences of feeling like an outsider, on prejudice and how it comes into all our lives, and the complexities of finding solutions.

Continue reading “Gypsies, Roma and Irish Travellers” →
margaretkendall community writing

Moments of Joy

Hear this blog post read aloud:

Moments of joy were easy to recall as we went round the room: an unexpected smile from a passer-by, a memory of climbing a mountain, comfort from stroking your cat, settling down with a good novel, a warming cup of tea, the sound of a cheering football crowd, signs of Spring in the park, cuddling a toddler finally succumbing to sleep… It was a topic some had previously discussed (see Small Joys, November 2022 ) and a joy to share some pieces written then with more recent members of the group. 

In a follow-on meeting, Chris Hogben led a relaxed and enjoyable sewing workshop, helping us to capture our thoughts about small joys as we chatted, stitched and unwound.   In the blog post which follows, some of us share the results in images, others have also written reflections.  Enjoy!

Continue reading “Moments of Joy” →
margaretkendall community writing, memories

What’s in your wardrobe?

We enjoyed two lively meetings in November sharing our stories about an item of clothing we’d each brought with us, chosen for their special significance. There was so much to talk about! In the second session, we joined a larger group of people in an event forming part of the Being Human Festival, led by Jolene Sheehan, Professor Sophie Woodward (University of Manchester) and Doctor Benjamin Wild (Manchester Metropolitan University). A fuller description of the event and more photographs are available in a news item about the event on the University of Manchester’s web page.

Attendees listening to the speakers
Attendees involved in discussion

Photographs courtesy of the University of Manchester

Read on to discover some of the writing inspired by the first workshop.

Continue reading “What’s in your wardrobe?” →
margaretkendall community writing, Manchester

Memorable concerts or sporting events

Tony introduced our session on this topic by showing us his large collection of concert and football match tickets, programmes and memorabilia going back many years. They included some Manchester City match tickets his uncle had given him from the 1950s. We were amazed at the difference in the entrance prices between then and now!

He got us thinking and talking about our own experiences of attending concerts and sporting events and sharing our memories of what they had meant to us. Some of us recalled specific occasions we’ll never forget and the people we were with, others reflected on the significance in our lives of music and sport, whether or not we were fans ourselves.

Continue reading “Memorable concerts or sporting events” →
margaretkendall community writing, intergenerational, Manchester, memories

Where were you when…?

Shane opened our meeting by reading a piece he’d written in advance relating to the question “Where were you when..?   The discussion which followed included key events over the past sixty years and explored a variety of themes, for example:  imperfect memories, the blending of fiction with fact, differing perspectives, the relationship between micro and macro events, time, tragedy, and upheaval.  Read on for thought-provoking and moving stories, reflections and poetry written by some of the members of our group.

Continue reading “Where were you when…?” →
margaretkendall Chorlton, community writing, Manchester, memories

Thoughts and memories about art

Joyce opened our first meeting on this topic with her definition of art as “creative expression of communication of ideas and something, in my opinion, to be treasured”.   We enjoyed seeing examples of her textile art she had brought with her.  In the lively discussions which followed, both in person and online, we shared varied experiences and thoughts about art, but all agreed on its importance in our lives.  We shared how other people in our lives helped us in the past or help us now to appreciate art in all its forms.

On 18th May, as part of Chorlton Arts Festival, we gave participants in our session a taste of what we do in our meetings. Some of us then read out our writing from the blog post which follows.  We hope you enjoy reading our thoughts and welcome any comments of your own at the end.

Continue reading “Thoughts and memories about art” →
margaretkendall community writing

The Meaning of Home

We talked about what “home” means for us. We talked about where and when we feel at home, about the people who make or made us feel that way and about the comforts of our own homes. We shared our sadness for those who’ve had to flee their homes, for those for whom home is not a safe place to be and for those who have no homes. The strong emotions of those conversations inspired some of us to share our thoughts in the poetry and prose which follows. We hope that our insights are meaningful to you too. We hope also that, after reading them, you may experience the same sense of gratitude for “home” that we experienced as we left our meetings.

Continue reading “The Meaning of Home” →
margaretkendall community writing, memories

The value of friendship

It was moving and thought-provoking to share our thoughts on the value of friendship.  As you read on, you’ll see how some of us were inspired to express our feelings through poetry or prose.  There are celebrations of, and tributes to, individual friends.  Some tell of specific moments and some describe longstanding friendships.  Then follow thoughtful reflections on the roles played by different types of friendships, the varied impacts they may have upon us or we have on them as we grow and change.

Continue reading “The value of friendship” →