With the loneliness of lockdown looming, our fantastic Learning and Participation team have been working on a new project developed for 60+ year olds in Wakefield and District who might be feeling isolated at this time.

Letters from a Teenage Dreamer is a ‘character-through-the-post’ based project where participants receive weekly letters written from the perspective of a teenage lad called Jack who is obsessed with dance and is on the cusp of making big decisions about his future.

Within these letters, he shares his hopes, dreams, trials and tribulations and participants are invited to respond to these letters in a creative way. Whether that be through a self-portrait, share a piece of advice or to reminisce on a performance or gig that means something to them. These responses will be used to devise a performance that will ultimately be shared back to the participants.

We've had a wonderful response to the project as 39 people aged over 60 years old have signed up. We have worked in partnership with a number of local partners including Castleford Salvation Army, Eastmoor Community Project, Icare, MHA Communities, Senior Citizens Support Group, St Georges Community Centre and West Wakefield Methodist Church.

The project is funded by Community Foundation Wakefield District and Live Well Wakefield.