margaretkendall Chorlton, community writing, memories

Sweets

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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.
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margaretkendall community writing, intergenerational, memories

Back to school

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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.

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jolenesheehan Chorlton, community, community writing, Manchester, memories

Mapping Our Connections

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We started off 2025 with a brilliant session led by Jean Byrne, who talked about her work with Friends of Longford Park. She demonstrated how creating a community map of groups and resources brought people together in lasting ways. Jean also reflected on how much she learned from the project, discovering the incredible contributions of so many local people and organisations.

Inspired by this wonderful example, I led a follow-up session, where we shared an interactive activity using a giant web of wool to explore the different ways we’re all connected. Together, we considered how these connections are not only shaped by place but also by the histories and stories that tie us to each other over time.

Six members of the group, four men and two women of different ages, seated at one end of the large table, each holding a piece of the web created as part of the exercise. The web stretches into the foreground, showing there are other members of the group also holding it, not included in the photograph.
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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.

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jolenesheehan community writing, intergenerational, memories

Children and Reading

In a fantastic session led by Pauline Omoboye, we explored the world of children’s stories, enjoying and reflecting on a range of texts, music, objects, and creative prompts. The session sparked conversations on what might capture a child’s curiosity, what themes we’d like to use to write a children’s story, our memories of learning to read, reading by ourselves or to others and remembering our own favourite stories.

Here’s a selection of writing from the group, inspired by this wonderful session.

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jolenesheehan community writing, memories

Love**Work: Exploring the Connection

In partnership with Arnold & Komarov Wandertheater, and their latest project,  we’ve been exploring the fascinating relationship between love and work. As Trixa and Ilya from the theatre company explain, “We’re examining the positive and negative interactions between love and working life, aiming to understand how people would shape their lives if they had complete freedom.”

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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.

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jolenesheehan Chorlton, community writing, lockdown, Manchester, memories

The benefits of being in green spaces

In our recent session, we had a wonderful conversation about the vital role of nature and green spaces in our lives. We discussed how the sense of safety that birdsong brings, the calming effect of fractals on our minds, and the beauty of petrichor—the smell of the ground after rain—are all crucial to our well-being.

We also touched on how we often seek these green spaces as we would a lake or a well when the green inside us feels dried up, quenching our thirst for nature. Our talk highlighted the significance of urban design and how living in the city heightens our craving for green spaces. (We love that where we live is so green and lush, even though it’s right by the city!)

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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.

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jolenesheehan community writing, memories

The Power Of Language

This month started with an engaging online session with Yaron Matras from Manchester City of Languages. We explored the theme of language as a landscape for both connection and disconnection, and our rich and diverse conversation is now available on Youtube

Our follow-up in-person meeting also covered a wide array of topics, from the nuance of gestures to the humour and frustration of miscommunication, and the universal reach of music. It reminded me of the power and limits of language to convey complex human experience and the deeper, quest for authenticity and truth of which language is a part.

In this blog post you will discover the thoughts and perspectives from our gatherings, demonstrating the various ways in which language brings us together, presents us with obstacles, and enhances our comprehension of one another.

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