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What is Special Delivery?  How did it start?

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What is Special Delivery?  How did it start?

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During the autumn term of 2020, we worked with Suffolk Artlink on a project called Special Delivery.  Due to Covid restrictions, this was completed via Teams calls!

Inspired by letters and other documents held in the Suffolk Archives and county museums, and guided by a team of artists including theatre-makers, creative writers, visual and digital artists, Special Delivery brings different generations together to explore the art of communication.

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What a joy to start our brand new intergenerational project, Special Delivery, yesterday, and to meet the children from Abbots Green Academy in Bury St Edmunds.

Their reasons for wanting to take part in the project were many and varied, from a desire to work with artists to a keen interest in local history and a love of working with older generations; Special Delivery will give them the chance to experience all of that, and more.

This Special Delivery programme is based on the Dunkirk Letters, written by members of the Suffolk Regiment and housed at the Suffolk Record Office in Bury St Edmunds.

Our theatre maker, Lynn Whitehead, told the children a story about the letters, introducing some of the characters and events of the time, after which the children did some amazing detective work, piecing together jigsaws made up of the letters.

The different styles of handwriting, types of paper and whether it was written in ink or pencil helped them put together the pieces and, in so doing, they identified parts of Lynn's story.

"Look," said one of the children, "I've found the bit where he thanks his mum for the parcel."

Norm ally, our artists arrive in person with boxes of materials for the different activities we do but, of course, that's not possible right now and this programme will all be delivered via Zoom.

Last week, we made a Special Delivery of archive boxes to Abbots Green, each containing materials the children will need for the first few sessions.

There was also a box for Mrs Uttley, the deputy head teacher who is supporting the project in the school.

Her box contained copies of the letters, plus other archive materials, and we will be adding to this over the coming weeks.

Yesterday we achieved many 'firsts'. The first session, the first time on Zoom for many of us, a first time for the children to take part in a new project, a first for the artists to work together like this online - and the verdict?

The artists agreed that they felt 'much more connected' than they thought they would; it really helped that the children seemed so at ease working with the screen and it definitely helped that they understood the technology better than most of us.

And the children? 'They were all buzzing afterwards', Mrs Uttley emailed. 'We're going to meet tomorrow to write postcards and decorate the boxes. They loved it!'

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Special Delivery to Abbots Green Academy - Suffolk Artlink

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What a joy to start our brand new intergenerational project, Special Delivery, yesterday, and to meet the children from Abbots Green Academy in Bury St Edmunds.

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We were asked by Suffolk Artlink to continue the project:

Working in primary schools and residential care homes in three distinct locations – Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft and Halesworth – Special Delivery takes the participants on a journey from personal postcards to collective collages, connecting the two groups as they investigate historical approaches to letter- writing and share significant correspondence of their own.

Special Delivery will create a legacy of resources, including digital interpretation for use by Suffolk Archives, county museums and school.

This project will continue by making and sharing postcards with Oxlip House throughout the next academic year.

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Oxlip House - Special Delivery Postcard Club

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Abbots Green Academy decided to extend the project...

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Abbots Green Academy decided to extend the project...

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We feel that it is really important to make connections with our local community so we have started our very own 'Special Delivery' club.
Every Friday, a group of children visit the residents of Oxlip House; we always take something with us - our very own 'Special Delivery'.
Our aim, is that each child will visit the care home at least once during the academic year.
We will use this padlet to document our journey; our conversations; our adventures; our learning; our friendships and our SPECIAL DELIVERIES.

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1st visit to Oxlip House - Safety Squad interviewed the manager and some of the residents.

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Online Officers visited Oxlip House - we took biscuits and iPads.  The children talked about their roles in school and showed them their padlet.
They then shared some online games with the residents - Hit the Button and a Phonics Play game.
We found out more interesting facts about the residents - one man was a professional drummer and once played for Matt Monro.

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The residents organised a game of Bingo and asked us to bring some pupils over.
We took 13 children - it was a great success.  The residents had planned the event really well and helped the children identify their numbers. They had even bought prizes for each of the children.

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We have invited the residents over to school to make Christmas Cards in the Rainbow Room.

EVENT CANCELLED (Residents had their own Christmas celebration this morning).

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We are taking the choir to Oxlip House to perform 3 Christmas songs.

EVENT POSTPONED (due to staffing/illness)

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Year 4 Parent Partnership event at school. Parents came in to support their children in making our second set of postcards to send over to Oxlip House.

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Activity

You can see Kate's postcards in the gallery above.

Kate has used a mixture of different paper and card and also drawn objects to put on her postcards.

You can see that her work is all about the natural world-conkers, blackberries and big dark clouds.

What shall I write about?

Kate's postcards are all about autumn smells, tastes and sounds.

Here are some of the things she writes about: -

The sharp taste of blackberries

Clouds rolling across the skies - look up

The summer roses still having a soft scent

The ground is covered with shiny conkers

The smell of bonfires

What are your favourite things about autumn-or things you really DON'T like?

Tips for writing postcards

You don't have to write loads-sometimes a simple 'hello' is all you need to get started.

It may seem strange to write to someone you've never met-but that's the joy of it-you can tell them anything BUT ...

Don't tell people stuff you don't want them to know.

Don't worry about keeping it neat-this is a different sort of writing, and any style goes, just try and write so the other person can read it.

Tips for collaging postcards

Once you've written your message it's time to start creating your beautiful collaged postcard.

Here are a few tips, to get you started.

Remember-your postcard can be a picture, a pattern or a celebration of your favourite colours. Just start with the background and keep layering up.

Kate's suggestions include: -

Start with your background and then add layers on top

Rough edges of torn paper are really effective

Different textures of paper add depth and contrast

You can draw items and then stick them on to your card

There's no right or wrong, have fun

Finishing touches

When you think you've finished-look again. You might want to add details using fine pens, or create a border around your card.

Posting your postcard

Use the envelope provided or send it to a friend, but either way please email a photograph to us at candida@suffolkartlink.org.uk

You will need

Blank postcards - or a piece of card cut to fit an envelope

Pens or pencils

Scraps of paper, card, tissue paper, material, etc

A glue stick or similar

Scissors - although torn paper often works better

Someone to send your card to. If you took part in the Special Delivery sessions you will have received some large envelopes for sending on your postcards.

If you are doing this as part of our DIY section, you can send the postcard to whoever you choose, but please email us a photo of it first, to add to our gallery. Email it to: - candida@suffolkartlink.org.uk

The Postcard Club Guide is a simple-to-follow series of suggestions and hints on how to use collage techniques to produce beautiful postcards.

Download pdf (2.84 MB)

Similar sessions

Part of Special Delivery

A download activity for you to enjoy at home. Find out more

Part of Special Delivery

A download activity for you to enjoy at home. Find out more

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Special Delivery Postcard Club Issue 2 - Suffolk Artlink

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You can see Kate's postcards in the gallery above. Kate has used a mixture of different paper and card and also drawn objects to put on her postcards. You can see that her work is all about the natural world-conkers, blackberries and big dark clouds. What shall I write about?

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We asked the children and their parents to think really carefully about the message that they sent - this one is beautiful. 

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We talked about layering the collage - this definitely fulfilled the brief! Wow!

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Mrs Arfi & Mrs Goodenough took a group of children over to Oxlip House to make some Christmas Cards.

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Choir visited Oxlip House to share their Christmas Carols!

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Games afternoon! A group of children took a variety of games over to play with the residents of Oxlip House.

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Talk Team meeting at Oxlip House.