What better way to define “This is Shropshire” than by asking the very people who have lived here the longest and those whose future lies ahead of them to share their perspectives? Pentabus, the nation’s rural theatre, responded to the Vibrant Shropshire commission by connecting residents from five care homes with pupils from five primary schools across the county. Through shared stories, memories and reflections on community life, the children gathered inspiration for poetry and songwriting sessions back in their classrooms.
As Shropshire’s only professional producing theatre company, Pentabus has spent over fifty years bringing cultural experiences to isolated rural communities. With a small but dedicated team, and in collaboration with Shropshire artists Henry Madd (award‑winning performance poet) and Rhian Jackson (vocal coach, singer and songwriter), they were ideally placed to lead this imaginative and inspiring multigenerational project involving 131 children and 69 older adults with limited access to the arts.
Together, participants explored themes of friendship, community, wellbeing and what it means to call Shropshire ‘home’. A total of 30 creative workshops took place in schools, where pupils developed and rehearsed their own, original poems and songs before performing them for the older people who had inspired them. The project culminated in a celebration event at St Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury, in November 2025, where children performed their pieces on stage, to an enthusiastic audience of family and friends. The performance, presented by Henry Madd and Rhian Jackson, was supported by the Pentabus team with sound design from Billy Lambert, film by Angel Reid, and lighting by Calum Barre and Daffyd Gough.
Projects like this create lasting impact, both expected and unexpected. For many children, especially those from rural areas, the experience broadened their horizons. For some children, attending from rural Shropshire to perform in Shrewsbury, this was the first time they had been on a train. Alongside creative and literacy skills, pupils developed confidence, teamwork, a sense of citizenship, and a deeper understanding of local history and the different stages of life. Care home residents spoke warmly of the joy the children brought, and care home staff noted new relationships forming with local schools: “I have always struggled to get schools into our home, but after the workshops the school talked about bringing the children back with their end‑of‑year play to show the residents. Without this event, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Others involved reflected on the project’s value:
