Local youngsters have been dancing, singing and acting their way through memories of the Forest in years past – all as part of a project to bring the generations together.

A group of Coleford children have been brought together by the Roots & Reflections programme, a collaboration between Gloucestershire Libraries, Gloucestershire Archives and Tewkesbury’s Roses Theatre, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund with the aim of putting the memories of older residents on stage!

Earlier this month the creative youngsters performed their production for the first time, in a show featuring recollections of everything from post-war pannage and apple-picking to memories of Raymond’s Shoes and the destruction of the Severn railway bridge.

The stars of tomorrow will repeat their performance in May at The Roses as part of a larger production bringing together similar groups from across the county.

“Roots & Reflections began life last year, when Gloucestershire Libraries started recording the memories of people born just after the Second World War,” she explains. “We’re now in the phase of enabling young people to re-interpret these memories in creative ways,” explained says Florrie Taylor of The Roses.

“It’s a love letter to the local community!”

Locals’ memories are selected by an artist based in each of the project’s six locations, and children then supported to put these memories on stage.

Rhys Williams, a Coleford-based specialist in circus skills, has facilitated the Forest of Dean workshops, meeting with the children five times before their first performance. Together, they’ve worked on juggling, jumping, singing, and more.

“We’re even doing hat-work and bottle-flipping!” says Williams. “It’s been great to see the kids engage with these stories of the past, and realise things have changed but also stayed the same.”

The memories recorded as part of the project – which will all be stored in Gloucestershire Archives – were wide-ranging, but also shared many of the same themes. Williams structured the show around the seasons, since so many of the memories revolved around the natural world.

From the free-roaming sheep of spring to the tradition of giving nuts and oranges at Christmas, the children’s show conjures an old world of brass bands, fruit-picking and the smells of Ribena and Lucozade from the Beechams factory.

There were more specific memories, too. For example, one of the participants, Brenda Baker, recalled that her husband’s aunt planted a beautiful oak tree in Coleford in the 1800s. That tree still stands today.

“It’s been great to go straight to the source, for both the memories and our shows,” says Taylor. “We’ve asked local people to record their stories, and we’ve asked local children to set these to song and dance in local places: parish halls, scout huts, and so on.

“And then in May we all get together for one big show in Tewkesbury, where the children will take over the whole theatre building, performing new material as well as reviving their first show!

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for communities to come together, remember their shared past – and build a shared future. We’re excited to see everyone in May!”