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Two generations celebrate life in town with song

News imageKarbon Homes Two older women in front of a stage which is lit in purple and blue lights. The woman on the left has short, grey hair and is wearing a red scarf with a blue coat which is covered in small hearts. She is smiling and holding sheets of paper. The woman on the right also has short, grey hair but it wearing a grey wooly hat. She is wearing a black coat with a fur hood and is also holding white sheets of paper which look to have lyrics on. She is smiling and her teeth showing. There is a woman standing behind them with blonde hair and her hood up.Karbon Homes
The two generations performed at Stanley Christmas Market earlier in December

Primary school children and residents of a retirement complex came together to write and perform a song that celebrated life in a town.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and residents of Towneley Court, in Stanley, County Durham, worked from September with Teesside-based artists Bob Beagrie and Sara Dennis who created the song based on direct quotes from the group's experiences.

Mr Beagrie said despite the town's "difficulties" they found "a real sense of resilience and community".

The song was performed to a crowd of people at Stanley Christmas Market which Ms Dennis said was "wonderful".

Run by New Writing North on behalf of Karbon Homes, the children and retirement groups were kept separate initially, but would write letters to get to know each other more.

Ms Dennis said when the groups finally met for the final rehearsal "there was a lot of love in the room".

"It was a really lovely moment to bring them all together," she said.

News imageKarbon Homes A crowd of people behind metal barriers watching and taking pictures of the singers. Sara Dennis is at the front singing facing the singers with a blue folder in her hand. She has short, blonde hair and is wearing a green coat. In front of her is the older group of singers who are facing away from the camera. They are wearing coats and hats and holding the lyrics in their hands.Karbon Homes
The group performed to a crowd of people

The lyrics included "Stanley is the phoenix that rises from the ashes" and "to keep Stanley's spirit alive" and Ms Dennis said the song was about "loving the town and admitting the problems".

Mr Beagrie said: "It's had its difficulties as a town, transforming from a colliery town, as most towns in the North have.

"But what we found was a real sense of resilience and community there."

News imageJo Hislop The backs of the heads of the primary school children who are wearing blue and white school uniforms. In front of them, Sara Dennis and Bob Beagrie and performing. Ms Dennis has short, blonde hair and is playing a small guitar. Mr Beagrie is wearing a black jumper and has grey short hair and a grey beard. They are standing in a room with patterned, beige wallpaper. There are two posters on the wall and white double doors to the left.Jo Hislop
A primary school pupil said the song made them think of Stanley differently

Victoria Keen, of Karbon Homes said the company "wanted an inter-generational project to celebrate the past because there's a real heritage within Stanley".

One St Joseph's pupils said thinking of Stanley before the song "you'd think of teenagers all the time, like people messing stuff up".

"Now from the song we've realised how many things in history have made Stanley," they said.

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