The wall has now been rebuilt at the Alpine Shops site with help from the Groundwork ESF Horticultural Team. We have planned a visit for 10 local young people to a local metal work artist to design the surrounding railings for the planter. These will go in to production in late April with a view to being installed in Early May and then the pupil's of Wingfiel Business & Enterprise College completing the planting of the area.

Report written by Tom & Billy

Work is underway at the Patio's.

We have had 2 planning sessions to design the Fitzwiliam Estate art project and also had a historiacl walk through the ages with a local historean. The design's look fabulous and we have already started on phase one which has seen us spray a canal barge, swan and lots of daffodil's to brighten up the area.

Remix

We are a group of young ladies, and we met by recording two separate charities CD’s one for Fundraise for Ben, and one for Cancer Research! We did a joint CD launch gig where we performed a dance to Earthquake by Labyrinth. After the gig a few of the people involved decided they wanted to carry on dancing together. These young people are Anna Kincaid, Reanna Bowdler, Melissa Foster, Beth Harper, Gracie Kilby and Claire Woodburn. The group we formed is called Remix and we do a mixture of street dance and contemporary dance. The classes are lead by Claire Woodburn, and work together to improve peoples dance abilities and have a good time. We are aiming to enter different competitions and do different performances around Rotherham. We meet weekly at Winterhill young peoples centre.

YOUNG MUSICIANS HIT THE RIGHT NOTE WITH CHARITY CDS

Musically minded youngsters from Rotherham have been writing and recording their own albums in a bid to raise valuable funds for charitable causes in the run up to Christmas.

In two separate projects funded and managed by Groundwork Dearne Valley’s Turning the Corner (TTC) initiative, two groups of girls have produced self-penned CDs which have recently gone on sale in local shops.

The first group is made up from of four Year 11 students from Wingfield School. Megan Williams, Ellie Jackson, Claire Woodburne and Yasmin Middleton, all aged 15, came together in March of this year to form the band Rebels and Fighters because of their love for singing and decided to write and record their own album relating to their own and friends’ life experiences.

Working alongside TTC youth worker Carole Foster and Matt Ellis of Bass2Beat, a new recording and rehearsal venue hosted by Herringthorpe Valley Youth Centre, the singer songwriters laid down their album self named album Rebels and Fighters. Tracks include Look How Far We’ve Come which promotes the positive message of what can be achieved when you put your mind to it. Funds raised from the sale of the CD will be donated to Cancer Research UK.

Megan Williams from Wingfield said: “It was really good fun and an inspiration writing and recording the album, but it was quite emotional too as the lyrics were about different issues in our live that had an affected on us. It made us more determined to let out how we feel about certain things and enjoy ourselves more and more every time we wrote new songs. Also the people close to us had a great impact too, they believed in us to do very well and knew from that very moment we begun that we are all talented. It’s great to see the CDs on sale. I hope plenty of people buy them as they make great Christmas stocking fillers and the money raised goes to a very worthwhile cause.”

As a result of the project the girls have become further involved with the youth centre and have performed at events including the Rotherham Show which appeals to audience of over 60,000 people. The girls are due to perform at a fundraising initiative in Rotherham town centre this Saturday (17 December).

In a separate venture and inspired by Rebels and Fighters, a group of four Year 7 girls from Winterhill Young People’s Centre were so touched by the plight of Ben Williams, a young local boy who has severe mobility and communication difficulties, that they approached Carole Foster with the idea to write and record a single for Ben that would benefit Ben’s Footsteps to Independence charity.

Song for Ben was also recorded at Base to Beat will be on sale alongside Rebels & Fighters at S & M News & the YMCA

Turning the Corner is a Big Lottery funded initiative delivered by Groundwork Dearne Valley that aims to challenge negative perceptions of young people in local communities by engaging them in projects alongside local businesses and organisations. During this project, the young people were also responsible for liaising with the local stores where the CDs are now on sale.

Carole Foster from TTC, said: “This has been a fantastic project to be involved in. Both groups have shown real initiative by coming up with the idea for the charity CDs, writing all of the music, recording the tracks and arranging for them to go on sale, all for the benefit of two worthy charities.

“As well as raising valuable funds, this initiative has really showcased young people in a positive light. They should be really proud of what they’ve achieved and I hope they inspire other young people to get involved with the excellent work carried out through Turning the Corner.”

Matt Ellis, centre manager for Herringthorpe Valley Youth Centre, said: “Working with our Bass2Beat music tutors the girls learnt how to write and record songs and experience what it’s like to use a professional recording studio. They also had support from us in designing the graphics for the CD covers.

“This project is a great example of partnership working with the outcome being two very saleable CDs that are set to raise funds for two worthwhile charities in the run up to Christmas. We hope to be able to join forces with TTC to deliver more projects that have a positive impact in the Rotherham community in the near future.”

Report by Megan

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Colourful birds, flowers and images depicting the changing seasons are adorning shop shutters in Rotherham, as young people get arty in a project to brighten up the borough.

Thirty three young people 10 to 18 year-olds have put their creative talents to the test after lending their support to the scheme, which was initiated by Turning the Corner (TTC) to enhance the exterior of shops in Wingfield, East Herringthorpe and Fellowsfield. TTC, which is delivered by Groundwork and funded by the Big Lottery Fund, aims to challenge negative perceptions and attitudes between local businesses and young people seen to be "hanging around" street corners, particularly in areas with shops.

to read more, click here...

press release

TEENS GET CREATIVE WITH SHOP FRONTS!

Colourful birds, musical instruments and images of the changing seasons will soon be adorning the shutters of shops in Rotherham, as young people get arty to brighten up the borough.

Students from Wingfield Business & Enterprise College & Winterhill Young People’s Centre are working with ‘eco-graffiti’ artist Sarah Yates to design graffiti-style murals, which can be applied to the shutters of shops in East Herringthorpe, Fellowsfield in Kimberworth and St John’s Green at Kimberworth Park.

Shop owners who volunteered to take part in the scheme can suggest a theme for the mural, or leave it up to the group’s imagination with the reassurance that the work will be overseen by a professional artist with experience of creating murals for public spaces. So far the team are working on a bird design and others centred around music and the natural world.

Sarah Yates says: “The young people have been attending design workshops where we think about the theme of the murals and then each person produces their own design which can be worked into the overall scheme. When we are happy with our murals, the young people will work alongside me in teams of ten to apply them to the shutters.”

Carole Foster, who is an outreach worker with Turning the Corner, says: “This is a really creative project which helps young people to take some ownership of their environment and will inspire them to protect and enhance it.”

The project is part of a scheme to encourage teenagers to take a greater responsibility for the appearance of their own neighbourhoods by improving the way they look. It is being run by the Groundwork Dearne Valley’s Turning The Corner project with the help of Lottery funding.

Carole is keen to hear from shop owners in other areas of the borough who would
be happy to have their shutters painted. She can be contacted on 01226 740077
or on Carole.foster@groundwork.org.uk

Young people in Rotherham have been getting experience as live radio DJs, as part of a project initiated by Turning the Corner (TTC) to help improve communication skills and promote teamwork.

Nine young people, all Year 10 students at Wingfield Business & Enterprise College, took part in the Redroad Music Project which saw them research and script write their own radio shows. The project involved creating content for the show by investigating issues that affect young people, developing their own playlist of music and recording and editing their own advertisement. The six week project culminated in a two hour live radio broadcast on youth radio station Redroad FM.

to read more, click here...

Spring has sprung in Rotherham thanks to green fingered students
Students from Winterhill Comprehensive School in Rotherham have been getting green fingered to brighten up the local community – supplying elderly residents and shop owners with planters and hanging baskets as part of a Turning the Corner (TTC) initiative.
Four local residents and two businesses from Kimberworth have recently taken delivery of planters and hanging baskets filled with flowering plants and shrubs, which were produced by twelve Year 10 students as part of the Bloomin Lovely project organised and funded by TTC. The students have built a total of 12 planters in total and the remainder are due to be distributed in the coming weeks. This work counts towards the students’ Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE), which is focused on working with the community and developing skills in technology.
As well as constructing the wooden plant boxes and getting their hands dirty planting the spring blooms, the students were also responsible for consulting with the local residents and shop owners to get them involved in the scheme.
The Big Lottery funded TTC project is delivered by Groundwork Dearne Valley. One of its aims is to enhance young people’s skills and confidence by giving them the opportunity to get involved in initiatives outside of the national curriculum that enhance young people’s skills and confidence, leading to formal accreditations. It also aims to challenge negative perceptions and attitudes towards young people seen to be ‘hanging around’ street corners, particularly in areas with shops.
Linda Dent, extended school co-ordinator at Winterhill School, said: “This has been a fantastic ‘live-project’ for the students to be involved with. Through Turning the Corner, they have been able to develop a product from start to finish and then deliver them to the elderly residents and shops, who have been delighted with the results. Not only has it helped them to develop their technical skills, it has enabled them to build relationships with members of the local community.”
The four elderly residents who have received the planters all live in close proximity to the school. 87 year-old Dot Pashley has been delighted with her plant box which is now adorning the entrance to her home. She said: “The students have done a really good job and their hard work is much appreciated. It looks lovely as all of the plants are coming into bloom and I’ve had plenty of people admiring it and asking where it has come from.”
In addition, the two businesses involved in the scheme – S & N News and Fiveways - have been awarded a YES Pledge - Young People's Exceptional Services – to show they welcome young people in their premises.
Carole Foster, TTC Youth Worker for Groundwork Dearne Valley, said: “Bloomin Lovely is an ongoing Turning the Corner project that is brightening up neighbourhoods throughout Rotherham, encouraging young people and the wider community to take pride in their local area. The most recent scheme has seen students from Winterhill School creating planters that will be used as evidence towards their City & Guilds qualifications in Horticulture, developing relationships with elderly residents and local shop owners in the process.”
For further information about TTC projects in Dearne Valley contact Carole Foster on tel: 01226 740077, email: carole.foster@groundwork.org.uk or visit the website www.turningthecorner.uk.com