A Welsh author has written to ICHK students, to commend them on work that she inspired.

Students in year 8 have been reading ‘The Blue Book of Nebo’ by Manon Steffan Ros. They explored the book in a wide variety of interesting ways, firstly by using the author’s idea of an Empathy Walk around our local area to prime them to the idea of looking closely.

They used class time to explore Welsh culture- including speaking with our own resident Welshman, Outdoor Leader, Dave Addis, about growing up walking the hills and valleys of south Wales.

They created a series of written pieces such as extra chapters, and also researched aspects of their own identity and how that impacts their view of the world.

Steffan Ros' work is beautifully poetic and the nature of her storytelling is influenced by many of the Welsh legends and myths that have passed down across the centuries.

Students contacted her and sent a short video message in Welsh, and they were delighted to receive a letter in reply.

She said: “I am overjoyed that you're reading The Blue Book of Nebo. When I was writing it in Welsh, I never imagined that it would travel so far around the world!

The Welsh language has been targeted for a long time. In the olden days, children speaking Welsh at school were punished with a Welsh Not- a piece of wood emblazoned upon it, worn around the neck. It was meant to make them ashamed of their language. But when I saw the video of you speaking Welsh, I started to think about how far my language can travel, and of the power of your words. Thanks so much for that!"