PUPILS from Westfield School in Gosforth have joined forces with Hexham Community Partnership to help the local community organisation encourage families to take a trip to the historic town this summer.
In a live brief led by Hexham Community Partnership’s communications and tourism officer Rachel Ladd and head of English at Westfield School, Andrew Leng, Year 9 students were tasked with creating visual marketing assets to appeal to a specific target audience.
To launch the project, a group of 23 pupils enjoyed a guided tour of Hexham to gain inspiration before turning their hand to pieces of promotional literature for the partnership to utilise as part of its pre-peak summer campaign.
During the visit, Rachel welcomed the group and highlights included exploring the dungeons at the Old Gaol and getting up close to well-known buildings, such as the Abbey where they learned of links to Henry VIII and dressed in the robes of traditional Augustinian Canons. Pupils also got a chance to browse the collection of independent shops, as well as sampling local produce and taking on popular walking routes to see the sights of the market town.
On returning to the classroom, students put their English language and graphics skills to the test, designing collages made up of images taken during the visit, walking tour guides and even a ‘Where’s Wally’-inspired puzzle to appeal to younger visitors.
Working towards strengthening links with organisations in the North East and further afield, the project forms part of the school’s participation in the Archbishop of York’s Young Leader’s Award Community Service Day which is also coordinated by Dr Leng.
Mr Walker, headmaster at Westfield School said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for some of our pupils to take their learning out of the classroom and work on an exciting live project. The group thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Hexham and benefitted from finding out more about the town’s heritage and offering to visitors, which was demonstrated in their designs.
“We worked closely with Hexham Community Partnership to make sure that the brief set was open to interpretation to engage the whole group, allowing for plenty of flair and variety. We hope that Rachel and the team are impressed with the ideas and the town is set for a busy summer of tourism.”
Rachel Ladd, communications and tourism officer at Hexham Community Partnership added: “It was a pleasure to show the students of Westfield School around Hexham and to be part of such a great project. I am really looking forward to seeing their ideas brought to life and hopefully putting them to good use in the promotion of Hexham as a tourist destination.”
Westfield School is an independent day school for girls aged from three to 18 years old in the heart of Gosforth, and was founded in 1960.
For more information on Westfield School, or to book an appointment for a tour, visit www.westfield.newcastle.sch.uk or call 0191 255 3980.