BALLAD FOR THE CHILDREN

Songs telling of the plight of child migrants, which have already drawn an audience of some 6 million listeners on radio, come to the county live next week.

The Ballads of Child Migration presents a series of songs, narration, slides, audio and film clips, and premiered at last year’s Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, where it was described as “the most memorable concert of the festival.” The songs were also heard as part of the BBC Radio 2 dramatisation of Michael Morpurgo’s book Alone on a Wide Wide Sea, which deals with the subject.

The show, which is narrated by Barbara Dickson, features folk artists John Mccusker, Michael Mcgoldrick, Boo Hewerdine, O’hooley & Tidow, Chris While, Julie Matthews, John Doyle, Jez Lowe, Andy Seward and Andy Cutting.

Forced child migration is a little known and dark part of the history of Britain. More than 100,000 children from Britain were sent overseas (to places including Australia and Canada) with the promise of finding a better life.

Some did find the happy lives they longed for but others found only hardship, abuse and loneliness. The show is a tribute to those children.

The concert, part of Folk in the Barn at the Gulbenkian, Canterbury, on Monday, November 12, includes a short Q&A session.

To book go to ticketline.co.uk or call 0844 888 9991. Barbara Dickson also has a solo date at Maidstone’s Hazlitt Theatre next year on Saturday, March 2.

Jez Lowe and Boo Hewerdine perform