'Adventure' book inspired by visits

A beautifully illustrated book inspired by the thoughts and impressions of a group of children from the West End of Newcastle visiting historic places such as Belsay Hall in Northumberland has been published by English Heritage.

Gail Graham of English Heritage (left) and author/illustrator Jahnese Maya look at Amali's Adventure, a book inspired by children from the West End of Newcastle. Amali’s Adventure has been written and illustrated by Jahnese Maya of the Ethnic Minority Wellbeing Group, following a series of visits by a group of 50 mothers and their children as part of an English Heritage outreach project.

Written in English with translation into Thai, Arabic, Amharic and Farsi, the languages the families speak, Amali’s Adventure is inspired by the locations visited and the ideas of the children on the visits.

English Heritage teamed up with Newcastle Primary Care Trust and its Ethnic Minority Wellbeing Project, funded by New Deal for Communities, to make the region’s historic attractions more accessible and promote the enjoyment of green spaces to aid the health and wellbeing of people living in Newcastle.

Following discussions with different community groups to identify activities to promote mental health and wellbeing of both themselves and their communities, a programme of visits for mothers and their children living in the city was organised to go out to heritage sites and gardens.

Shaimai from Newcastle's Wellbeing Group enjoys her day at Raby Castle. Over last summer the group visited sites all over the region, such as English Heritage’s Belsay Hall and Castle, Crook Hall, Durham; Alnwick Castle and Gardens, Alnwick; Lindisfarne Priory, Holy Island; Beamish Museum and Raby Castle, Staindrop, County Durham.

Gail Graham, English Heritage Outreach Officer, said: “The North East has many outstanding heritage attractions that can offer much for visitors and it’s great to be able to encourage more people to enjoy these sites and improve their own health and wellbeing at the same time.

Jahnese Maya, Ethnic Minority Wellbeing Project Community Development Worker, added: “The voice within this group for what mental health charity Mind has recently called ‘ecotherapy’ is very strong. People gain a lot from spending time in green spaces, getting outside together and learning about what we have inherited from the past.

“It was amazing to see the effect that green spaces, buildings from a different time and beautiful gardens had on the children; their imaginations went into overdrive, and I have used some of their ideas and fantasies to produce the book. ”

A limited number of story books are available free of charge from English Heritage – please contact the North East regional office on 0191 269 1200 to request a copy.