In late summer 1939, 130,000 children were separated from their parents in Liverpool and Merseyside and sent to safer locations to protect them from the anticipated blitz.
Most of these evacuees were placed with families in North Wales,
and Age Concern North East Wales has recently initiated an ambitious project,
contacting former evacuees, host families and residents, all of whom have a story to tell and want to share with others.
This reminiscence project culminated in an inter-generational sharing of past experiences with schoolchildren of today in Wrexham, on July 10th 2007.
Material generated by this project, together with other research, now forms the basis for a play, commissioned by Age Concern North East Wales, to be written by Michael Stevens. This writer has already had several plays based on local themes performed at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold.
Terry Hands, artistic director of the theatre, said of these plays,
"This is community theatre at its best".
The new play, "WE'LL KEEP A WELCOME," will be performed as a theatre project in partnership with Wrexham County Borough and the Arts Council of Wales.
The play will occupy a key role in Wrexham County Borough's annual Arts Festival, when the theme will be links between Liverpool and North Wales,
and will be performed in Theatr Stiwt, Wrexham.
It will then move on to the Emlyn Williams Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold during the week of 9th June, before touring to the Galerie, Caernarfon.
Finally the play will transfer to the Unity Theatre, Liverpool,
in the week of 23rd June during the city's residency as European City of Culture, 2008.
There will be scope for workshops and links with schools, and it is hoped young people of today will be interested in attending, together with former evacuees who took part in the reminiscence project, friends, families and theatre-goers alike.
Arrangements are also being made for an exhibition of photography,
and an associated activity, "You Must Remember This",
an afternoon of poetry and songs from the Second World War.
It is intended the project will also contribute to Age Concern's Gwanwyn Festival for 2008. |
