History lesson inspires pupils’ cemetery film (From Southend Standard)

History lesson inspires pupils’ cemetery film

12:00pm Thursday 15th July 2010 in Southend By Michelle Archard

TALENTED pupils have celebrated the culmination of months of hard work by attending the premiere of their DVD documentary charting the history of a historic cemetery.

Pupils from Westborough Primary School, Westcliff, are featured in the film, which was shot by film-makers Beth Hooper and Alastair Deacon from Blade-Education.

The film, shown at East 15 Studio, in Southend, was the climax of a year of the children’s work to find out more about North Road Cemetery, and the people who have relatives buried there.

The school first became interested in the Westcliff cemetery after visiting the site as part of a history lesson in September 2009.

The youngsters were shocked to see the vandalism, and were disappointed to hear many people buried there don’t have gravestones.

The class of nine and ten-year-olds ran an appeal through the Echo letters page to find relatives of people buried there.

They interviewed some of the people who responded and gathered a collection of personal stories from family members.

The documentary shows their interviews, as well as their designs for stained glass windows to be included in the renovation of the old chapel on the site.

They also designed mosaic memorial tiles, a map of the headstones for the unmarked war graves, a welcome sign and flowerbeds.

The school worked with Southend Council and Royal Opera House Creative Partnerships on the project, and will keep a copy of the film in the school which includes specially-written songs performed by the youngsters.

Gemma Baxter, from the partnership, said: “The pupils are rightly proud of their work, which is of real benefit to the community.”

The chapel is to be converted into a new community centre thanks to a £1million Government grant, and £22,000 from the Southend Economic Participation programme, funded by the East of England Development Agency.

The chapel, which was built in 1879 and has been left a wreck since an arson attack two years ago, will be transformed into a centre to be used by Southend Association of Voluntary Services, as well as new businesses and voluntary groups.