During the warm up session participants sat in a circle holding a piece of wool connected to a chair at the centre of the circle. The chair represented Aston and the string participants’ connection to the area. Participants were asked to work in partners and describe their strongest connection to Aston, their partner then fed that information to the group. The idea was that though participants may not feel comfortable talking about their own experiences with a large group of people, they would be comfortable speaking on behalf of another. 
Participants then split into three groups to practice interviews. You can listen to the interviews on our SoundCloud, just click the recording name to follow the link:
The session closed with a creative writing activity
The group exchanged ideas and produced two poems. The first poem was created through participants sharing their memories of past neighbourhoods, and the second through describing sounds, smells and images of Aston.
Neighbours
In the olden days,
Neighbours watched out for each other without being nosey.
There was no need to lock up,
If you knocked, your neighbour’s door would always be open.
It was OK to ask for sugar and tea,
Or even borrow a few penny.
No one borrowed to beg,
One good favour deserve another.
Chatter across the fence pass the time away.
People from different places,
But we all sailed forward in the same boat.
Together.
Aston is…
Football – let them cheer and shout and floodlights through your nets.
Rich smells in the air tugging at your belly.
Quiet mornings, busy afternoons.
Traffic jams on match days with road rage.
Passing busy pubs on Villa days.
The smell of baking bread hits me in the face and says “come buy me.”
Little shops filled with things like brick-a-brack and knick-a-knack.
Stories from my grandfather.
Aston is a hidden place, a pocket of people tucked away.
The Manor on the hill that outsiders come to see, but we do not.
Aston is enjoyable time just for me.
Aston is my heritage, a big bubbling pot of different people.
It’s where I get my hair cut.
The last creative writing exercise invited individuals to write about their own experiences and personal memories. Dorothy and Joyce shared theirs with the group. You can listen to the recording on our SoundCloud, click on the recording name to follow the link:
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