Pupils, families and teachers gathered on Wednesday to hear readings by pupils from two books, which have been developed as part of the North Bridge Refurbishment Arts Legacy and Community Benefits Programme.
Pupils have worked closely with the North Bridge Refurbishment team and contractors Balfour Beatty to create the books, and this has included visits to the work site.
Drummond Community High School pupils have also collaborated with Ancestry and the Council’s Archive’s department to explore old artefacts and documents relating to the bridge, helping to inspire characters and ideas.
The project was facilitated by the Super Power Agency an Edinburgh based local charity that promotes writing and literacy. Stories were written by P7 pupils of Abbeyhill Primary School, Broughton Primary School and Leith Walk Primary School, most of whom are now pupils at Drummond Community High School.
Cllr Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “It’s clear that the young authors of these books have vibrant imaginations – reading their stories has been very entertaining!
“It’s particularly interesting to see how they have woven the majesty and heritage of the North Bridge into their tales, and it’s evident that all those who contributed have spent a lot of time thinking about the bridge and its history. Thanks to the Community Benefits Programme we’re able to really involve local people to learn and participate in the scheme as it progresses.
“This is a huge project for the city and the people who live nearby, and I’d like to thank everyone for their patience as it continues. Once complete it will retain the much-loved North Bridge for generations to come.”
The work to renovate North Bridge should be finished in 2025. Read more here.
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Open in new tab Rory McFadden of Balfour Beatty said: “We were delighted to work alongside City of Edinburgh Council, the Superpower Agency, Ancestry.com, Developing the Young Workforce and Historic Environment Scotland, to collaborate with these talented young authors.
“We hope that by supporting the funding of the project and facilitating site visits for the young people to safely explore never before seen elements of the iconic North Bridge structure, we were able to spark their imaginations to create these two exciting new books.”
Claire Heffernan, Managing Director of Super Power Agency, said: “These stories are wacky, magical and hilarious. They show the beauty and importance of youth writing. We gave all our young authors the same starting point and their imaginations did the rest. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the site visits and learning about local history. I think that truly spurred them on to write the stories you see in these books.”
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