Schools in our Medway Hub were delighted to be involved in the first ever Medway Light Nights event last week!
Medway Light Nights was a brilliant festival of light held in Rochester High Street last week. The town’s iconic historic buildings were lit up and transformed in a beautiful display that saw schools, local organisations and members of the public come together in celebration. Students from The Victory Academy, Cedar Children’s Academy, New Horizons Children’s Academy, All Faiths Children’s Academy and The Gordon Children’s Academy all wrapped up warm to represent their schools in a spectacular lantern parade as part of Medway Light Nights.
In preparation for the event, each of the schools was visited by local artists who provided a wonderful lantern-making workshop to our children. Pupils made lovely lanterns in a variety of shapes which they then decorated – we were so impressed with the creative designs they came up with.
Our pupils displayed their lanterns as they marched up Rochester High Street in the brilliant parade last Friday. The street was lit up with fascinating videos and artwork, and the children gazed in awe at the buildings around them. There were also some extraordinary percussion bands who participated in the parade, contributing to the lively atmosphere and making it impossible not to dance! Some pupils from New Horizons Children’s Academy could even be seen in a film projected on to the wall by the cathedral, talking about what it’s like to be a child in Medway and the opportunities available to them.
Performing Arts pupils from The Victory Academy also featured in an incredible show at Rochester Castle. The performance, named ‘If Not Now’, explored contemporary opportunities for social change, and involved beautiful light displays projected onto the Castle. Our students performed wonderfully and with such confidence and enthusiasm.
It was truly brilliant to be involved in an event which united the community in such a unique way, and to see our young people embracing the opportunity to be creative, exhibit their work and have fun! Thank you to the artists who helped our students create their lanterns, to the staff who coordinated our participation in the event, and the children who represented our schools so brilliantly.
