LETTER DIRECTOR'S
"It's more than just a building to me," said Helen over coffee and cake, "It's where I catch up with the only people I know. That's the reason Heworth Without is a lovely place to live." Heworth Without is one of the gentlest wards in the city of York, with an elderly population, plenty of green space, and thriving community spaces. Though social isolation is a modern day scourge, and naturally there are cases of it in this area, places like Christ Church are putting the shoulder to the wheel and providing some luminous resistance to loneliness. The church and its parish, its Monday Coffee Shop, it's Senior Friends and more, was the perfect platform for us to send our teenage advocates to try and answer the question: why is Heworth Without such a lovely place to live?
In an age where the litmus test of an area is how good its 5G coverage is, Heworth Without is a pleasing counterbalance to all things stressed out. The roads lead pleasantly into town or out of town, depending on what direction you're going; the green areas are well kept with some carefully managed spots of wildness; the proclivity for saying 'hello' to neighbours is a well maintained norm, with both young and old, so divided by technology and cultural interests in other part of the city, regularly socializing in the same building. Niall, 15 year ol;d student from York's All Saints, says it best, "It's not just older people who moan about not being able to reach out across the generations. We often feel it too. We know that the elderly have a load of wisdom and some cracking stories to share, but unless it's, say, your Grandma who you can sit with, getting together with the elderly just doesn't happen." So what did Niall think about the Monday Coffee Shop? "The cakes were AMAZING. The people were lovely. I was shown the artwork that was used to celebrate the church's 50th anniversary, which was 10 years ago. I was shown the view over the fence in the carpark. I was invited to sit and listen to stories. I have loads of material to take back to the team and crete some bright, hopeful artwork."
Similarly, Daithy, 14, of local school Archbishop Holgate's School had a lot to say about his afternoon spent at the church's monthly 'Senior Friends' event. "I actually live in the area, so I know what a lot of the people are talking about, but it seems like a lot has changed over the last 60 years or more. But I do have to say everyone seemed really happy and sociable, I was definitely made to feel welcome."
The interfusion of our youngest residents with our oldest does not always lead to genuinely exciting results, but speaking from the point of view of a Registered Charity, the visuals we have up to now are, by any standards, excellent. Shanaya picked up her camera and visited Heworth Amateur Rugby League Club and c ollected a few stories and photos to bring back to the studio. Our learners, young people with learning differences and physical disabilities, responded with energy and humour. Such is the growundwork laid down by Christ Church and the wonderful people of the ward who keep things going. They know who they are. You will know what they are if you make a visit. Monday morning, from 10am. See you there. Mine's a Rocky Road and a black coffee.
THANK YOU, COFFEE SHOP
Every conversation is galvanised by coffee, cake, or whatever delicious treat that kickstarts the correspondence. Here we had loads to choose from, with a delightful, friendly, and welcoming team.
”THANK YOU FOR THE WELCOME.” NIALL, 15
HEWORTH WITHOUT FOOD INSPIRES ART
ART INSPIRED BY CAKE
“LET THEM PAINT CAKE.”
"I
have to admit, I was not ready for how nice that cake was! Thank you making me feel welcome." Daith, 14
TALK ABOUT?”
“WHAT MAKES THE PAST SO EXCITING TO
‘We spent the day talking about what it was like back in the day. What films, what rock stars, what are the biggest memories. It sounds like such a great time to be alive.”
Elvis / The Moon Landing / Princess Diana / Dallas / Frank Sinatra / England win the World Cup / The Pope visits York / The Beatles / York Minster on fire / Who shot JR?
Our teenage ambassadorial arm, New Voice Project, sent Niall (15) to Heworth Without to continue where advocate and photographer Shanaya left off "It was lovely to meet everyone at Heworth Without's Christchurch," says Niall, "We were given a warm welcome. The guided tour of the church was really interesting, and the coffee and cake set us up for the day!"
Met by member and Senior Friends co-organizer
Rosemary Thompson, we had the chance to sit and talk over coffee, tea, and cake what memories stood out during the 60 years Christchurch has been here "Everyone was so easy to talk to," Niall enthuses, "They all obviously get on with each other There were some hilarious anecdotes, and easy banter between the members At the moment I'm just compiling the memories to feed back in to New Voice Projects, as we're keen to make the best possible artwork out of what we've got ” New Voice Project is New Visuality's informal collective where York's teenagers are given flex to do their own research, write up their findings, and influence decision making on the board Charity director Greg McGee takes up the point, "We'd like to make it a formal part of the charity, and that will happen eventually, but it may need funding
That's something we're working on, but at the moment the funding we've received from City fo York Council's Heworth without Ward is galvanising inter-visits from pupils of All Saints School, Archbishops Holgate, York High, and Blueberry Academy The residents we're meeting at the Cricket Club, the Rugby Club, and the ward's churches are generous with their time and warm with their welcome What has struck our young team is not only the amount of memories stored up but the amount of aspirations and hopes, not only for this specific ward, but for the whole of York too These people have a lot to be proud of, and it's made manifest in the strong ties you find in places like Heworth Without's Christ Church and the dedication of people like Keith and Rosemary Thompson Our young team are always made to feel welcome " Niall is keen to report back to the teenage team, Flint (15) and Shanaya (16) "We have some great ideas for creating art, including a digital collage and illuminated projections through the windows. But at the moment we're taking time to compile the memories we've collected Christchurch is 60 years old this year I spent a while looking at the excellent mosaic (pic above) created by K Caffey and S Kershaw to mark the 50th anniversary ten years ago It's a superb piece of art, and was created collaboratively by the community. That's the standard that has been set and I hope that with continuing visits to Heworth Without and some hard work we can attempt something as good "
“Let’smakethese youngmenfeel athome!”
New Visuality Chair
Alaa Jasim on how Daithy made everyone feel at ease.
"Daithy lives in the area, so as soon as he picked up the mic everyone knew that his wishes and hopes for the future were as relevant to them as their memories The whole project is about intersecting where nostalgia and aspirations meet, and Daithy really celebrated that He did his family and his school Archbishop Holgate's School proud Feedback included a 'Thank You' card and many messages expressing wishes for Daithy to return " Alaa
COLLECTING MEMORIES OF HEWORTH WITHOUT
THEN...
“IDON’TLOOKAT THEPAST THROUGHROSE TINTEDGLASSES.”
"Traffic was a lot quieter then, and people were in less of a hurry. I always get a smile here though"
“
"I sometimes
worry about the younger generation, the world seems a dangerous place now I suppose we got through it OK Family is precious to get you through it, I know that
myself"
"There was a lot less litter in those days. It's not so much of a problem here in this area, but as a general thing I think there could be more awareness."
"Don't be fooled by the 'when I was a lad' stories Life is better now More tolerance, less disease, better medicines "
HOPES FOR THE FUTURE
“IFWEWORKTOGETHER WECANMAKEIT WORK...’
“"There needs to be more places for young people to go to Maybe they should be encouraged to join the Scouts, or in my kids' day there were discos or youth clubs every week Let's not blame young people for hanging around"
"I always get a cheery hello from the younger generation, whether they're going to school, or if it's a school holiday It always brings a smile to my face"
"This AI is going to be very interesting, there'll be a lot of jobs that robots can do that will free people to do other things I'm not sure about York as it has so much heritage, but maybe that's what makes it a perfect place to get started"
“I"Things aren't anywhere near as bad as it's painted out to be in the papers The younger generation are lovely, and they care more about the world and equality than any generation I've ever known"
SHANAYA VISITS HEWORTH
AMATEUR RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB
As part of our New Visuality project ‘New Memories for Heworth Without’, funded by City of York Council‘s Heworth Without Ward, New Voice Project sent two of our intrepid reporters to that ward. Our first stop was Heworth Amateur Rugby League Club where Isla and Shanaya found a warm welcome, chilled Pepsi, and plenty of memories exhibited on the walls of the bar
We were pleased to see that it was exactly 20 years and a day ago (28/02/04), York Press ran an article how Heworth Amateur Rugby League Club stalwart Peter Ulliott confessed how the priceless Challenge Cup trophy had been damaged by an over zealous team member.
Our teenage journalist visited Heworth ARLC to pick up the story “It’s a source of great amusement there,” says New Voice Project codirector Shanaya, “The bar staff said that the Rowntrees tinsmiths had become local heroes for a while, especially for the poor man who dropped the lid in the first place! Apparently, you can’t tell the difference.”
Our team talked with patrons outside who were watching last night’s game “It’s a great family place We also come on a Saturday morning when the youngsters are playing It’s a great atmosphere.”
“We’re grateful to all the hard work from members of staff and volunteers here at Heworth ARLC The kids love it, we love it, and there’s a real history on display on the walls inside ”
We duly had a look and we were impressed and entertained by the framed photos, trophies, and stories found on display Thanks for the warm welcome, Heworth Amateur Rugby League Club We’re looking forward to visiting next door’s Cricket Club next month in March as part of our ongoing project.”
Creative responses
"We're working with The Melbourne Centre and pupils from Archbishop Holgate's School to create a collection based on the conversations brought back by Shanaya, Niall, and Daithy All of the memories came from the elderly who attend Heworth Without's Senior Friends and Coffee Shop All of the hopes were a mix from young people from the area and the elderly who want to leave the area in a better state than they found it in ”
"Either way, it's going to make for great art One older gentleman was absolutely focused on the games of crickets he's played in the area, so Max and Tom went back and created a Manga inspired illustration based on his memories It could almost be an emblem for the area We’ll be back - we have a certain church’s 60th birthday to help celebrate! Wait till you see the art for that!”
Greg McGee, Director
