The reading initiative has seen rail operator Avanti West Coast work with North Staffordshire Community Rail Partnership, the National Literacy Trust in Stoke and B Arts. The exciting one-off project has seen live street performances in the town, alongside an array of activities at Stoke Library.

The theme of the trail was based on Duck Bill’s Great Railway Adventure Story Quest, which is written and illustrated by Kidda Kinsey. The special event saw families enjoy a waddle around the city, following the steps of the main character, Duck Bills, who enjoys adventures by rail and writing to his younger brother Duck Small to tell him all about them.

The event involved a self-guided tour to families of children at primary school, which involved a number of challenges, leading to the discovery of some fantastic and fun facts about Stoke and its railway station. The trail saw a specially designed map using information from the book.

The project has seen something very special created over the school holidays with B Arts actors providing a chance for children to meet and engage with characters from the book alongside some historical figures from Staffordshire. The actors were located along the trail’s route, which began at Stoke Library and meandered through to Stoke-on-Trent railway station.

Alongside the trail, a number of partners took the opportunity to host activities at the library, including storytelling sessions, illustration workshops, pebble painting and badge making. The activities alongside Duck Bill’s Great Railway Adventure brought the whole experience to life for the children taking part.

The National Literacy Trust in Stoke saw the story specially created for Story Quest, which is a project which aims to encourage the region’s families to take part in free story trails in the area. The book is also a celebration of Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage and railway, whilst encouraging people to make their own adventures by train.

Families who wish to take the self-guided tour are able to do so at any time with copies of the trail available at all Stoke-on-Trent libraries, Stoke-on-Trent railway station or via download by clicking here.

Children who complete the trail and write a letter to Duck Small will be entered into a prize draw with a Family & Friends Railcard and book bundle up for grabs.

Letters to Duck Small can be submitted at Stoke Library or sent via email using [email protected] before the 8th of September.

Funding via Avanti West Coast’s Customer and Communities Investment Scheme, Community Rail Network, Department for Transport and Historic England has made this fantastic community initiative possible.

Joanna Buckley, Community Manager at Avanti West Coast, said:

“We loved playing our part in bringing Duck Bills’ Great Railway Adventure to life with this unique event, as we want to connect young people to opportunity – giving them a chance to experience something they wouldn’t ordinarily.”

“The trail gives families, schools, and the community access to materials to help children read, take pride in their local area, and experience something new. We’re proud to have worked with local people and organisations to deliver this initiative to champion Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage and landscape, and hope it inspires young people and their families to explore places using sustainable modes of transport.”

Emma McIntosh, Community Rail Partnership Officer with North Staffordshire CRP, said:

“The story trail offers a great opportunity to share some of the history of Stoke town and the railway with children in a way that really engages them and opens up opportunities for conversations about local heritage and travel by train. Working with partners to bring Duck Bills and the story trail to life has been a fantastic continuation of this project and we’ve loved seeing the children’s enthusiasm interacting with the characters and participating in train-themed activities.”

Lois Bateman, Hub Manager for the National Literacy Trust in Stoke, said:

“We are so pleased to have brought Story Quest to life around our wonderful library and railway station. Our Story Quest programme encourages children and their families to see reading in a new light by exploring their community spaces and getting active. We know how important this is: by nurturing these positive interactions with literacy-based activity, we can help children develop the skills they need to succeed in life.”

Rebecca Frankenberg, Senior Creative Producer at B Arts, said:

“There is something magical about train travel, of setting off on a shared adventure. We wanted to capture that feeling of being on an adventure and also imagine what it would be like to really meet different people from Stoke’s past and to have a small taste of what life was like. It was a real privilege (and a lot of fun) to create a live version of this trail mixing performance and hands-on activities like having a go at slip decorating with the Spode paintress we met from 1923, sampling biscuits saved from the fire at Stoke Market in 1982 and, of course, joining in the celebration of the opening of Stoke railway station in 1948! It was brilliant to see the children (and the adults) having such a good time.”