
BBC New Creatives poetry project gives young parents a voice.
Screen Cornwall and WILD supported our WILD parent to produce a poetic exploration into the life of a young parent, mentored by artist Ella Frears.
“I’ve never thought that my story was worth listening to but writing it all down has really helped me to release so much emotion”
Screen Cornwall and WILD supported our WILD parents to produce a poetic exploration into the life of a young parent, mentored by artist Ella Frears.
WILD parents often feel unheard, so this was a wonderful opportunity for them to have a voice.
A group of young mums from Falmouth and Liskeard collaborated with poet Ella Frears and composer (and WILD music worker) Matthew Thomason to produce the piece. The mums had never written poetry or lyrics previously and were asked to describe their experiences of being a young parent.
At first the mums were nervous but working with the WILD team and Ella, they slowly grew in confidence and produced a verse of lyrics that accompanied an original composition.
The piece was performed by Elowen, a young single mum to a 2 year old boy who had been attending WILD for around 6 months. It was recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 6.
Listen to Believe in Us, a poem by WILD Parents below.
New Creatives was an exciting talent development scheme from BBC Arts and Arts Council England.
It offered opportunities for emerging artists to create new work in film, audio or interactive media, designed for BBC platforms.
Local partner, Screen Cornwall wanted to make the project more accessible to young people, who might not yet think of themselves as artists or creatives but have something to say.