WENTWORTH WOODHOUSE TRIP

Written by our journalist in residence, Mallika Ahmed.

On 21st of January 2023 I went to Wentworth Woodhouse to see a workshop that was being held for teens who had just done their National Citizens Service residential with Rotherham United Community Trust.

While there we got a full tour of the house and its historical importance – like how it was rebuilt multiple times to ensure the homeowners were recognised as Whigs, and how political views were so openly shared and evident. They even have statues of gods and goddesses paraded around in their homes, so their views were unmistakably clear. Wentworth Woodhouse itself has statues of Minerva, the Roman goddess of war and wisdom, on its premises to highlight its position of being a Whig household. The house itself is full of interesting facts and holds prevalence today as a set for many successful shows and uprising ones, like the award-winning film Darkest Hour or ITV’s Victoria.

Although Wentworth itself is an interesting place with stunning architecture and fascinating history, what interested me more about the workshop was the pressing issues on the minds of the teens who were there. Only around a handful of people who were invited to the workshop actually made it. This wasn’t due to lack of interest or laziness from their behalf, but due to the lack of access to the house. I myself had gotten lost on the way to Wentworth and had to navigate my way there, by my own intuition, as even on the internet the way wasn’t clear. The group of teens expressed how getting to the house was an issue and how so many people they knew had to cancel because they didn’t have the means of transportation to get there. It’s clear to me that Rotherham needs to focus on ways of helping the younger generations to access opportunities for things like this, even if it is as simple as a day out. Children’s Capital of Culture are working with their partners on helping this issue. They are doing this by getting the younger generations the opportunities and activities they need and want to make Rotherham a warmer and more fun environment for people to enjoy and stay.

 

The problem that was mentioned most on this trip was the shortage of opportunities for young people. It really dawned on me how the stigma on Rotherham being a boring place, that you want to leave, stems from the thought in all young people’s minds that they don’t have anything to gain from the town. They don’t see a place where their dreams can thrive and come to life, rather a place of boredom. Children’s Capital of Culture is all about creating opportunities and bringing people together. I believe that these pressing issues faced by many young people, including myself, are going to be resolved by what the Children’s Capital of Culture have in mind for the future. For our future.

Another problem the young people attending expressed was how they felt Rotherham was unsafe and the town centre didn’t really appeal to them; they all felt as though there was nothing for them to do. This is a pretty broadly felt problem, as most people don’t see Rotherham’s town centre as a place buzzing with fun and activities to solve your boredom. However, many of the Children’s Capital of Culture events are being created to solve problems like this, and they’re here to bring the joy back to going to town centre and just Rotherham as a whole. This is in the hopes that in the foreseeable future people can talk about Rotherham town centre in a positive light, instead of a place they avoid. Rather it can be a place they actively go to and enjoy their time. Children’s Capital of CUlture have already been working closely with lots of partners across Rotherham on this pressing issue with their Uplift Festival that took place last year and is now hoping to take place every year from now on. The festival was said to bring a new atmosphere in Rotherham and create a lot of opportunities for young adults, allowing them to broadcast their talents and find jobs where they can enjoy their town and its facilities.

Attending this workshop at Wentworth Woodhouse really shed a light on all the problems young people are facing in Rotherham. It filled me with more hope and anticipation for the future of the Children’s Capital of Culture as their goal is to face these problems and solve them. I hope to see things like these being less of an issue as Children’s Capital of Culture continue with their work with young adults. I also hope that the thought that comes into young people’s minds when they think of Rotherham is a happy one about a place they’d like to see thrive, and grow in.