Publication Date: 07-03-2025 09:00
Stevenage pupils enjoy writing workshop with author to mark World Book Day
Children from a Stevenage school got to meet and work with award-winning author Ray Star during a book reading session organised by Bellway North London.
The housebuilder hosted the event for 30 pupils from Thomas Alleyne Academy at its Forster Park development in the town to celebrate World Book Day.
Two 90-minute sessions took place in the sales and marketing suite at Forster Park, with Year 7 and 8 pupils walking there from the school in High Street. At both sessions, the author read an extract from her book, Earthlings, and ran a workshop coaching the youngsters to help them write a chapter of their own book.
Michael Catlin, Head of Year 9 and an English teacher at Thomas Alleyne Academy, said: “We are very grateful to Bellway North London for making this happen. This was a fabulous way for some of our students to commemorate World Book Day.
“The opportunity to meet an author in the flesh and to hear them read from their own book was a thrilling experience for everyone there and really brought the text to life. The children were fully engaged with the reading and let their imaginations run free when they were asked to pen their own book chapter.”
This is not the first literary link-up between the school and Bellway North London as the housebuilder organised a poetry competition in January 2024, marking 145 years since the birth of renowned author EM Forster, who grew up in Stevenage and whom the site is named after.
Michael said: “It is great that Bellway has reached out to connect with us at the local school and to help us make literacy more engaging. We hope that the sessions with Ray Star the children will develop a lifetime love of reading and writing.”
Zoe Dobbs, Sales Manager at Bellway North London, said: “We thought it would be inspirational for the pupils to meet an author in person and Ray Star, who writes teenage fiction and lives in Harlow was the perfect choice. We hope the fact that she is a local writer will show these budding young authors that it is possible for them to follow in her footsteps.
“We understand that the writing the pupils produced in the session with Ray was amazing and that they were enthralled by her reading. At Bellway North London we are proud of our ongoing relationship with Thomas Alleyne Academy and hope to link up with them again on future projects.”
Bellway North London is building 400 homes at Forster Park, on land off North Road. To find out more visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/north-london/forster-park.
