A CLASS of children at a school near Wrexham are embarking on an ambitious film-making project to document their village’s Second World War experience.

Using documentary, drama and green-screen techniques, year 5 and 6 pupils from Madras school in Penley are creating five films, each looking at distinct topics: the Polish in Penley, American soldiers in Penley, Evacuees coming to the village, D-Day and the Home Front.

The films will be presented on June 6 – the anniversary of D-Day – following several months of work for the children, as part of the Arts Council of Wales’ Lead Creative Schools Scheme.

Penley is well known for its Polish population, which settled in abandoned American military hospitals after World War 2. The village also housed many evacuees – most of whom came from Merseyside – during the war and locals also witnessed stray Luftwaffe bombs falling close by.

Class teacher, Linzi Mira, said: “Our children have such a lot of local Second World War history at their fingertips, from the family memories of those who witnessed American soldiers arriving in Penley and those who are descended from the ‘Penley Poles’ who arrived just after the war, to the remnants of the American and Polish hospitals that our children see every day.

“We’re so delighted to have the chance to bring some of these amazing stories to life, using filming and journalism techniques that the children are being taught by specialised Creative Practitioners.

“Our children have chosen to tell these various stories in lots of ways. Some are putting themselves in the action, with green-screen techniques and others are becoming reporters and telling their stories like journalists. We also have some children re-creating the experience of youngsters being evacuated and separated from loved ones. Our performance night in June is going to be very special indeed and it’s wonderful to see the children getting such a lot out of preparing for it.”

The school is taking part in the ‘Lead Creative Schools Scheme’ after successfully bidding for funding to undertake a project with some of its pupils.

The scheme sees creative practitioners – experts in certain fields – coming into schools for one-off projects, to produce art, music, film, performance and other media.