10.08.20
Northern supports song writing workshops in the community
As part of the Northern supported project Lyric and Line, singer-song writer Gareth Davies-Jones has been working with three groups with additional needs, using music to explore the adventure of traveling by train, and the obstacles they may face doing so.
Gareth worked with Gibside School, a special needs school in Whickham, Zig Zag, which works with isolate people in Haltwhistle’s rural community and Journey, a Hexham-based charity supporting adults with additional needs.
The project is funded by Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership.
The songs wrote by the groups included helpful tops about travelling on the railway such as, “make sure you get to the station on time.”
Regional Director for Northern, Tony Baxter, said: “Northern is fully committed to its role as a key part of the communities it service.
“I’m really pleased we’ve been able to support Lyric & Line and we will always seek to promote projects like this that are not only inclusive, but also inspire community engagement across our network.”
Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership Officer, Fiona Forsythe, said: “Lyric & Line has helped groups look at the railway in a different light and increased their confidence to ‘give it a go’.”
Gareth Davies-Jones added: “It has been an exciting and wonderful opportunity to work with these special groups of people. Music and song writing, in particular, can unlock ideas and perspectives that might not otherwise be heard. Lyric & Line is helping them and others to see the possibilities of the railway through fresh eyes”.
Image: Northern