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Routes & Riches Exhibition
The Routes & Riches exhibition has been installed at Killhope Lead Mining Museum for the full seven month season. The exhibition is a culmination of the Semi Precious: Weardale' Industrial Migration Stories project which started last year and was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Responses and feedback so far have been incredibly positive. A celebration event with Hilary Armstrong MP was organised in June with sixty young people from local primary schools who were involved in the project, visiting the exhibition to tell us what they thought of it.
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Lost 4 Words
As part of the Cultural Hubs legacy, St John's Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre asked Rachel to work with them on an extension of the Polish book project they completed last year. They wanted a product that could be shared with their exchange schools in Peru and Kenya. Rather than focus on books that needed translation we came up with the Lost 4 Words project, creating silent film, animation and flick books which can be shared universally with different cultures. The books and films will go to exchange schools in June with a celebration event in July this year.

The project is also delivering the Arts Award to year 7 students as a pilot scheme to look at practical methodologies on delivering this award.
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Matt Sewell's illustrations pictured here will be used as a starting point for animation style and form.

Ear to Ground; Eye to Sky Symphony
An exciting proposal for a world renowned composer Martyn Harry and early instrument ensemble His Majesty's Sagbutts & Cornetts are to work with Stanhope Silver Band and composer Andy Jackson on pieces of music about the North Pennines . Rachel will be working with them on accompanying visuals to show at the Stanhope Silver Band festival and the Sage later this year. It is hoped that young people from the Museums Live! Cultural Volunteering Programme will join Rachel in exploring the local area and its heritage to interpret within the film.

Abi Wylde from the The North Pennines AONB Living North Pennines project will be managing the E2G project and has provided some financial support to make things happen and the project has already received financial support from the PRS Foundation.

The Arts Council will make a decision in August whether to fund the proposal - fingers crossed.
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Film Club for Young People
In June with members of Jack Drum, Rachel joined teachers at the Tyneside Cinema to find out the latest in the Film Club world and listen to Lee Hall, screen writer for Billy Elliot talk about his experiences in getting into film. Film Club is a national scheme backed by the government to encourage schools to show films to inspire and develop discussion. The scheme has been so successful in schools they wish to role the programme out to non-school venues and Jack Drum have got involved.

With the rural nature of this area, Jack Drum made a strong case to be one of the first areas to pilot the scheme. On a four weekly rotation there will be film showings on a Saturday in Stanhope, Tow Law, Witton Le Wear and Crook.

It is hoped that young people will get involved in choosing their films, writing reviews and making their own in response to what they see.
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