Cornish Writer Sails Away to Bristol

FALMOUTH, U.K. - Jan. 13, 2015 - PRLog -- Over 100 origami ships are on display in the Control Room on Redcliffe Bridge, Bristol. Laura Barnes, a writer from Falmouth Cornwall, created a visual poetry display with the aim of promoting literacy within the UK’s eighth largest city.

Frequented by some 30,000 cyclists and countless foot pedestrians, Redcliffe Bridge is on the commuter path, connecting the city to Temple Meads station. It also houses its Control Room; a disused space open for exhibition. As part of Bristol City Council’s Creative Spaces initiative, Laura Barnes created Sail Away: a visual poetry exhibition.

Running Palaver Maven, a creative copywriting company, Laura said, “I work with words every day to offer communication for brands. However, I previously taught in some 4 countries outside the UK, and I’ve seen first-hand how empowering literacy is. I wanted to create something that connects Cornwall to the biggest city in the Westcountry, and thought the ships would help to do that.”

An advocate of using poetry and songs as part of learning, Laura’s display collects stories she wrote about living on a houseboat on this section of the river to her life by the sea. “I write a lot of stories about water”, she said. “It’s a force to be reckoned with! As the country endures annual high winds and storm warnings, Sail Away transports commuters to a sea themed world where ships vastly approach a steep drop.”

Many ships hover on the precipice of the control box, which Laura equates to the nerve wracking and exciting step of learning to read. “I’ve been with infants and adults across the world at this exciting stage, and wish to promote the idea of taking the plunge.” Having lived in Bristol, Laura taught English classes, including the building blocks of how to read.

This year, she hopes to set up a charity arm of Palaver Maven, empowering young people from low income families within Cornwall to pass on their literacy skills to learners across the globe. “It’s very much an idea currently”, said Miss Barnes, but having come back from teaching abroad in summer 2013, and since set up a company, Barnes is someone who gets things done.

Contact

Please direct press queries to Laura Barnes

e laura@palavermaven.co.uk t 07729263818 w palavermaven.co.uk