  Writing
for Wales
If a child shows a talent for sport or music, there are opportunities
to join a county team or orchestra and receive special coaching.
Until recently, the same opportunity was not available to children
who show talent and promise as creative writers. However, in 10
authorities in Wales, the Writing Squads (Sgwadiau Sgwennu) are
offering exactly that chance to children and young people. It
is a scheme which we believe is unique to Wales, and there are
almost 20 Squads in existence.
The original intention of the founders of the first squads, Bob
Mole, then working for the Arts Council of Wales in the southeast,
and Kate Strudwick of Caerphilly, was to emulate the coaching
pattern of the Welsh youth rugby team. Now Bob is on the staff
of the Welsh Academy, the literature promotion agency in Wales
which supports authorities with funding and advice.
Here in Denbighshire we have two Squads — one Welsh and
one English — with 20 members in each. The children are aged
10/11 and have been members for over 12 months. We meet every
term in a library for a workshop, which the children have a day
out from school to attend. The number of Squads, the children’s
ages and the pattern of workshops differ from county to county,
as each authority finds a pattern to suit local needs.
I believe strongly that reading and writing go hand in hand.
The majority of authors are also keen readers, and we emphasise
this to the Squad members. We naturally, therefore, invite tutors
who have also written for children, in order to encourage the
children to read their work as well as meeting the writer. To
date the tutors have included Jenny Sullivan, Peter Sansom, Malachy
Doyle and Julia Jarman with the English Squad, and Margiad Roberts,
Myrddin ap Dafydd and Meinir Pierce Jones with the Welsh Squad.
Here at least, the Squads are a good example of a partnership
project, with the Library Service and the Education Department
working closely to organise and support the Squads. For the Library
Service, I organise the tutors, the venues and look after the
budget. Eileen Jones and Eirwen Jones, our literacy advisory teachers,
recruited the members and maintain the contact with the schools
and the children. It costs about £2,000 to support both Squads
over 3 terms. The Academy gives assistance with the writers’
costs, and we share the remainder between the Library Service
and Education. So far we have not had to ask the children or the
schools to pay.
The Denbighshire Squads have their own website in order to publish
the children’s work, set interesting writing tasks and share
information about Squad activity. We have had invaluable support
from David Baugh our IT advisory teacher. This summer the Squads
had workshops on creating interactive stories for the web —
which will soon be published on the website http://www.denbighict.org.uk
As far as I know, Denbighshire is the only county where the library
and education jointly organise the Squads, and we have seen many
benefits. The Squads are part of our strategy to promote reading
and literature and to support the county’s literacy strategy.
On a practical level, the Squad members borrow the books of the
visiting writers, use the library as a meeting place and to e-mail
each other and the writers. We have a ready group of keen readers
for targeting with other reading promotions such as the summer
reading challenge. The library’s profile has been raised
amongst the parents who bring their children to the workshops,
and amongst the children’s class teachers. The success of
the partnership with education colleagues has led to easy joint
working on other projects, and the literacy advisory teachers
are wonderful advocates for the library service. The Squads attract
media interest, and of course we also have the satisfaction of
knowing that we are making a tangible contribution to the development
of the writers of the future. Who knows — some of the Squad
members may be writing for Wales one day!
Bethan M. Hughes
Children and Young People Library Adviser
Denbighshire Library & Information Service
bethan.hughes@denbighshire.gov.uk
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