Award for childrens authors

Parents from three Sure Start Children’s Centres across Rochdale have become published authors thanks to a new childrens book that they have written themselves.

Last week, the writers received an adult learners week award from the retiring Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Robin Parker.

Parents from Castlemere Children’s Centre, Howard Street Children's Centre and Woodland's Children Centre in Heywood all contributed short stores, poems and illustrations to 'Children of the Dream', which has now been published and distributed in all the Rochdale Children’s Centres and is in stock in Rochdale Central library at the Wheatsheaf Centre.

Before they put pen to paper, parents attended workshops where they were encouraged to think of their experiences as a child, what their favourite toys were, what they enjoyed doing and how they played as children.

They wrote the stories with the support of an experienced story writer and an illustrator.

The programme was a joint initiative with Cartwheel Arts as part of their ‘Tell us another one’ project, which enables people to share stories and life experiences to be brought together for a collection in a book, magazine or for radio broadcast.

The glossy book is beautifully decorated with a mix of children’s stories and poems.

Parent Empowerment Worker Karen Meadham from Castlemere Children’s Centre attended the adult learners week presentation with her group of parents.

She said: “The results of this project are just outstanding.

"The book is excellent quality, the children and parents love it and it will be something that generations can pass down in their families.

"Some of the parents involved both from Castlemere and the other centres have overcome barriers such as language difficulties in expression, in their written language and in their comprehension. For some of the parents involved English is their second language and this project has built their esteem and confidence. One of our parents has even gone on to write more poems of her own.”