Hello everyone!

To connect our communities during this strange socially distanced time, the Tales from the Riverbank project wants to bring everyone together to share their childhood stories of play and fun along the riverbank.

This week we are launching a new creative activity where children and their wider family can come together to write postcards to us. We want to hear from you about the games you have played, the wildlife you have seen, and the places you have explored in our many rivers throughout the decades. The postcard is easy to download (many times if you wish!) and comes with some simple instructions and ideas on how to get started.

 Download and Print (A4)

What funny, interesting, or unusual memories can you share?
How many of you played in rivers and never went home with a soggy bottom, unlike myself? How many of you played poo sticks, set sail to distant climes, or found treasures in the water? Have you been fishing and caught a whopper? How different are your memories from that of your parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles?

Under lockdown restrictions you might be finding home learning trying at the moment, miss reminiscing with others about your shared past, or find yourself unable to go outside into nature as you once could. I’m particularly missing talking face to face with people and traveling out to the Peak District for long walks with the dogs.

But writing a postcard could be just the tonic and a new project to keep you going.

Take a break from formal learning by releasing your imagination into little stories and arty pictures. Revisit and reconnect with nature through your favourite memories. Reach out to others in your community by telling us all about the social history of the rivers in your area.

Already we have received tales about motorbike mishaps, horseshoes being found in streams, and canoeing under bridges. Can you top that?

What are your stories?
Find the download link below and start sharing your Tales from the Riverbank.

Download and Print (A4)

• Make a seasonal Frosted Leaf Jar
• A morning birding at Croxall Lakes Nature Reserve