TOP WRITERS OF THE FUTURE
PRIMARY school children in Crosby put journalism skills they had learned in the classroom into practise when they attended Marine’s clash with Guiseley in the Pitching In Northern Premier League last weekend.
Twenty-six pupils from local schools St Luke’s Halsall and Valewood Primary became sports reporters for the day, after completing a programme run by Marine in the Community and Literacy Kicks.
Funded by a grant from the Trident Community Foundation, established by league sponsors Pitching In, the project covered a wide range of sporting subjects and writing styles over the course of six weeks.
The lessons are delivered by journalist Gareth Walker, who spent over 20 years reporting on leading sporting events for national newspapers.
The children took notes throughout the game, which saw the Mariners boost their play-off prospects with a 1-0 win, as well as being introduced to the crowd on the pitch at the break.
Relished
At full-time, they interviewed match-winner Bobby Grant and their reports on the game will be published by the club.
Marine in the Community director Graeme Gardiner said: “It was a fantastic afternoon for everybody involved.
“The children relished the prospect of becoming sports journalists for the day and it provided a fitting culmination to the first part of Marine in the Community’s partnership with Literacy Kicks.
“The feedback from the schools, pupils and parents has been excellent and we will be repeating the project again in the area before the end of the school year.”
Literacy Kicks founder Walker added: “All of the children were a credit to their schools and staff, who kindly gave up their Saturday afternoons to help oversee them becoming sports reporters for the day. Being able to speak directly to Bobby Grant was a superb experience for the pupils and gave them a real insight into what it is like reporting on sporting events.
“The whole project has been a pleasure to deliver in St Luke’s Halsall and Valewood Primary schools, using sport as a means to engage children in both writing and reading. Marine were outstanding hosts throughout and we’re looking forward to returning again in the future.”
The Trident Community Foundation has supported more than 100 new and existing community projects across clubs at Steps 3 and 4 since being launched by Pitching In in December 2020, with more than £430,000 awarded in total across that time.
Marine’s successful scheme saw them follow in the footsteps of fellow NPL outfit Ashton United, who made use of their grant earlier this season to run a Literacy Kicks programme and offer reporting opportunities to primary school children in the town.
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