On last week, staff and pupils from Ysgol Tir Morfa, Rhyl were delighted to welcome judges from the Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative (WHSI) to their school.
Ysgol Tir Morfa is currently being assessed for a WHSI Award for their fantastic work looking at the Celts and their local hillforts.
The Initiative was launched in 1990 and its aim is to encourage young people in schools in Wales to take a greater interest in their heritage and the contribution made to it by their families and communities. The Initiative holds an annual competition for heritage projects in schools in Wales.
Fran Hoare from Ysgol Tir Morfa, Rhyl said: “The school is really pleased that the work undertaken on The Celts was worthy of consideration for this award! However it was the availability of excellent resources through the Heather and Hillforts Project, information on the project website and the expert led tours of Penycloddiau hillfort by Heather and Hillforts staff that really brought the topic alive.”
Two education resource chests developed through the Heather and Hillforts Project were also launched at the school on May 5th.
Erin Robinson, Community Participation Officer for the project said, “We have created two resource chests for schools to borrow through the Library’s Loan Service to highlight the wealth of heritage in our local uplands. Schools can now borrow a Celtic Hoard, focusing on ‘The Celts’ and our local Iron Age hillforts and a Moorland Treasure Chest.
“These provide lots of information on both the heritage of our uplands and how the landscape is used today. Both chests are packed with activities and a handling collection to be able to feel the weight of an Iron Age sword or even stroke a black grouse- one of Wales’ rarest birds!”
The Chests can be borrowed by schools for a term by contacting the North East Wales Schools Library Loan Service which delivers to over 300 schools over four counties.
Schools can contact the Loan Service by calling 01352 704441, emailing [email protected] or visiting http://www.flintshire.gov.uk/SlsLoans/LibraryHomeServlet
Through Careers Wales’ Teacher Placement Scheme, many teachers from all over north east Wales attended workshops with the Heather and Hillforts Project to ensure that the resources provided everything they needed to cover the topics and to feel confident about visiting the hills and hillforts with their classes.
Wendy Hughes, Subject Leader for History at Ysgol Maesglas, Holywell, commented, “The workshops for teachers during the development of the chests were really useful, and resulted in some very interesting discussions as we tried to decide exactly what we wanted to have in the resource chests! It was also a rare opportunity for teachers to work alongside archaeologists and experts from the Heather and Hillforts project. Later in the term, our Year 4 class at Ysgol Maesglas had a fantastic couple of days trying out the resources, both in school, where the pupils loved dressing up as Celts and handling the artefacts, and out on Moel Fenlli and Moel Famau, exploring the hillfort and investigating the habitat of the heather moorland with the team. It really brought our History lessons to life!”
The Heather and Hillforts Project would like to thank everyone involved in the making of the chests, especially Careers Wales, North East Wales Schools Library Service, Ysgol Maesglas and Ysgol Tir Morfa and congratulate the schools on their excellent dedication to their local area’s heritage.
Other schools in Denbighshire, Conwy, Flintshire and Wrexham that were invaluable in the process were Ewloe Green Primary School, Nercwys Primary School, Mountain Lane Primary School, Victoria Junior School Wrexham, Ysgol Pen Barras, St Mary’s RC Primary Wrexham, Howells School, Derwen Foundation School, Ysgol Bodfari, Taliesin Junior School, Ysgol Sant Dunawd, Ysgol Sant Elfod and Ysgol y Creuddyn.
The Heather and Hillforts Project is developing a £2.3 million initiative for upland conservation work and has received a grant of £1.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. For more information please visit heatherandhillforts.co.uk.
You can now follow the project on twitter! Visit www.twitter.com/HeatherHillfort or join our Facebook group for more updates from the project.
