“Telling Ethel’s Story”
This free drama resource for young people (link below), has been created by Gertie Whitfield of Whitworks Adventures in Theatre (WAT), which specialises in lesser-known histories and voices. It celebrates the campaigner Ethel Haythornthwaite (1894-1986) and is dedicated to the late Professor Nicola Verdon.
Ethel Haythornthwaite was the driving force behind the founding of the Sheffield Association for the Protection of Local Scenery in 1924 – which later became the local branch of the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE). Sadly, even in Sheffield, Ethel’s work is little recognised.
Cassa Townsend, CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire (PDSY), discussed Ethel’s story with Paul and Gertie Whitfield (WAT) and they came up with a creative project to celebrate Ethel’s life, work, achievements and legacy. The aim was to bring her story to a whole new audience and the project gained the support of Professor Nicola Verdon (you can read her article in Rural History Today).
The BAHS backed this exciting new play through its Conference and Initiatives Fund and it toured 3 venues in October 2024, with great feedback from audiences as the quotations below exemplify:
“A fantastic female role model; she campaigned for what she believed in and it made a huge difference – in her lifetime and for future generations. I had not heard much about Ethel prior to this play but her activism has safeguarded parts of the countryside to this day so more people should know about her important work. She was a trailblazer and youth of today can be inspired by the resilience and determination of her.”
“It is important because Ethel shows even if you don’t have the most power in your society, you can still make a change.” Year 9 Newfield School, Sheffield
To leave a legacy, Gertie Whitfield has created a drama resource funded by EMR and dedicated it to Professor Nicola Verdon. It allows young people to learn about the true story of Ethel, a Sheffield woman who was an incredible early environmentalist. The script has been carefully researched by a skilled young people’s writer.
“Telling Ethel’s Story” is a script-based resource that will develop students’ use and understanding of many drama skills.
“The script offers so much versatility and covers a range of techniques and genres. We used it with Year 9, but it has the potential to work with most groups from Year 8 up to and including 6th form.”
Lindsey Broughton, Head of Drama High Storrs School
Follow this link to download this free resource
Resources for agricultural and rural historians can be found here:
Books on agricultural and rural history