Butterknowle youngsters turn to older generation to learn more about their village

CHILDREN in Butterknowle learned more about their village’s past directly from the people who are part of its history.
A tea party at the village primary school saw pupils in key stage two meeting older people from the community to learn about their own heritage. Teacher Anne Dauber said the event formed part of a broader creative learning theme about northern life.
Along with learning about the Vikings and other parts of the region’s history, the focus is now on the history and geology of Butterknowle.
Ms Dauber said: “The children are learning about things in Butterknowle that happened a long time ago, so they wanted to draw on the memories of people who live in the village. There are hidden things that they know that you don’t find in books.
“A lot of the children’s families have lived in Butterknowle for years and years. We are trying to work more with the community and to get the community into the school.”
The Kellett and Blackett families are among those that go back many generations and the children were particularly interested in the death of Thomas Kellett, who died during a mining accident in 1882, aged just 13. Thomas was listed as a driver for a local pit.
Ms Dauber said: “He was similar to their age so they couldn’t believe he was working.” As part of their learning experience, the children are putting together a newspaper front page which features the tragic accident.
Pupils also learned from their classmates, such as Connor Simpson whose family runs Copley Coal. He gave a talk about the different types of coal including which is the most expensive and burns the best.
He said his favourite part of learning about history of the area was discovering more about the railway that once ran alongside the village.