Never Such Innocence launch international competition - ‘Giving Children and Young People a Voice on Conflict’.

The launch of our 2019/20 international competition was a day to remember at St Andrews Church, Leyland. Children and young people from South Ribble showcased their beautiful poetry, art, and songs to an audience of their peers and local dignitaries.

To mark the start of the next phase of Never Such Innocence, we were invited to South Ribble by Seema Kennedy OBE. We were joined by four schools from South Ribble; Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy, Hutton Grammar School, Moor Hey School and St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School. Children from all of the schools participated in the event, either by reading out poems or singing a song. All the children’s hard work was supported by all of our guests, including the Mayor and Mayoress of South Ribble, Warrant Officer Rob Lockyer, and local Chelsea Pensioner Steven Allen. 

After a welcome to the venue from Reverend David Whitehouse, Seema Kennedy OBE, MP for South Ribble delivered a speech to the audience. Seema followed onto stage by Lady Lucy French OBE, Founder and CEO of Never Such Innocence. Lucy discussed the origins of Never Such Innocence, the development of our 2019/20 international competition, and informed the young people that they had become a part of the Never Such Innocence global movement!

Throughout the day, there were many moving and touching poems read by pupils from Hutton Grammar School, Moor Hey School and St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School. Poems created by students from St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School were created during an intergenerational poetry workshop facilitated by our practitioner Nik Perring and local playwright Andy Bennison.

We were also joined at the event by Lynelle Howson from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and Dr David Hunt from the South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Center. Lynelle gave a brief background about the work of the CWGC and highlighted sites in the local area. Dr Hunt informed the audience about the history of St Andrews Church and the work of the closely situated South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Center.

For the big finale, pupils from Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy sang a song that they had written during a workshop with Never Such Innocence Artist in Residence - Bethzienna Williams.

Following the song, guests and schools were invited by Lady Lucy French  to visit an exhibition inside the South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Center. Here, people were encouraged to view work that students from all four schools produced for the Never Such Innocence competition.

The event was hugely enjoyed by our guests, and Never Such Innocence is delighted to have begun the next phase of our competition in South Ribble and to have had such a great response from local children and Young People.