Fellfoot Forward

2023

Exploring sound and place with primary school children in the North Pennines National Landscape

In autumn 2023 Rose worked with artist Guy Schofield on Fellfoot Forward with the North Pennines National Landscape. They were commissioned to run a series of workshops with primary schools that explored the stories, memories and feelings the children had about their place. Working with Year 4 at Longtown Primary and Years 4-6 at Castle Carrick Primary, Rose and Guy developed workshops that explored geology, archaeology, the present day and possible futures. They created activities on making sound with objects, bodies and voices, as well as getting the kids to listen in new ways, and create landscapes through sound. Using different kinds of microphones the children recorded small sounds, under the water, interviews and invented sounds, wrapping these into a sound map of their town or village.

Rose and Guy edited the material into a radio programme for each school for Fellfoot Radio. You can listen to them every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday 3.30-4! And find out more about the programmes on the Fellfoot Radio website.

Over 500 Fellfoot residents and artists have contributed audio programmes to this 24/7 radio stream exploring one of the most rural areas of England. This includes, music, field recordings, walks and live sounds from mics installed in cattle sheds, meadows, churchyards, windswept valleys. You can hear programmes by musicians like Amy Clouds, and recordings by artists including Chris Watson.

The project was commissioned by the North Pennines National Landscape, and the arts producer was John Coburn. It was funded by Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, and Westmorland and Furness Council.

Recording with hydrophones at Castle Carrick Primary School (Image: Guy Schofield)
Drawing local features and animals for the Castle Carrick Primary School sound map