Story Lab at Trevow
Story Lab was a week-long celebration of words and stories took over Helston in May half term. Trevow Helston and The Writers’ Block transformed the town into a living literary adventure with workshops, trails, performances, drop-ins and open mics popping up in venues right across town.
We began the week with Story Lab: two immersive days of story making in Trevow, a converted chapel in Helston, arriving just in time for the hottest weekend of the year!
Children stepped into the role of story inventors: choosing costumes, creating characters, and building imaginative worlds through collage and a spinning wheel of inspiration. In the lab itself, they selected key story ingredients, emotion words, unexpected events, endings and a wild card! We then carefully shaped them into their own original stories. We were so inspired by the creativity spilling out onto the page from all those who came!
From there, the week unfolded across Helston with a programme of workshops in different spaces around town. We began with SCAMP’s wonderfully inventive Mapping the Closet workshop – exploring identity through clothes and play, followed by a Victorian-themed poetry and greeting card making session at the Museum of Cornish Life. In The Basement, teens explored zine-making and manga, while adults joined acclaimed writer Cathy Rentzenbrink for an inspiring session on starting memoir writing at the Emporium.
Our Speakeasy event was one of the highlights of the week, Tamara Rosenwyn had the room in tears laughing within minutes. Following her performance, we were deeply moved and inspired by a number of local writers who shared their powerful and poignant work in our Open Mic.
We closed the programme with a joyful finale that was, quite literally, giant! From oversized giant pencil drawings and playful character creation to Sprocket Pockets and songs and stories from The Story Republic, the day was full of imagination and energy. Trevow also gifted 2,000 seedlings, kindly donated by Rocket Gardens, and visitors followed our Story Quest trail through the park, featuring suspended welly boots and suitcases, solving kenning riddles along the way.
Photography: Ruby Ingleheart
