History comes to life for Burnley students on European battlefields trip

Phillip Braithwaite, Hannah Cherry, Eve Bibby, Eve Wharton and Olivia Dyer were with pupils from Rochdale and Manchester as part of an award-winning initiative where students visit the battlefields and learn about World War One before returning home to deliver a community-first project on the topic.

The five, who are students at Blessed Trinity RC College, were accompanied by history teacher Sarah Cheshire, a senior specialist leader of First World War education,to the battlefields in France and Belgium.

They visited the Somme memorials, to judge the success of the battle that began on July 1st, 1916, and Neuve Chapelle Cemetery, to consider the part played by the Indian Army and more, as part of their trip.

On their return they attended a social cohesion conference in Manchester, a day organised by the University College London Institute of Education, who run the battlefield tours programme.

Mrs Cheshire said: “The content of keynote speeches ranged from Muslims helping Jews in the Holocaust, to how the North West has welcomed refugees since World War One up to the present day.

“There were workshops on the peace process and also a drama workshop as part of the performance of ‘Journey’s End.’ "

The group have now put together a Legacy 110 Project exhibition which will be part of the Centenary Battlefield Programme.