For three days during the half term break there was a creative arts course at St Johns Church, Tenby, when 20 local children between the ages of six to 13 signed up for a drama workshop. They were guided by the first class and inspirational drama teachers from Ysgol Harry Tudor and founders of the Inspired Theatre Company of Pembroke, Hannah Lowe and Pete Kingdom, assisted by student Tisha Edgar.

The young people were led in a comprehensive and fun-filled drama workshop. Over three days the students learned to trust, listen, respect instruction and give their ideas taking part in all the aspects of drama, expanding their own visions and reactions, and playing to their individual strengths.

The three days culminated in a performance in St Johns Church, using fabrics for representing the seas and fabricating props for their use in the drama.

Jim and Melanie Walker members of St Johns - whose musical history includes being tutor at the Royal Welsh College of music and drama and teacher with the Pembrokeshire Musical Services, also currently teaching percussion to many individual students - instigated this unique and all embracing Creative Arts Project for the young people of the area.

It could have included Art workshops to make the scenery, Music sessions using other instruments and to write some of the music and use of film and IT to create some effects. However, with just the 20 young people who signed up for this first of such Creative Arts projects at St Johns, the Drama workshop proved sufficient. It was an enormous success, as any one who attended the performance on Thursday afternoon will tell you. Each student had an all important roll to play which they performed with confidence and excellence.

The words and actions by the young people who professionally stayed in character throughout, and the songs written by Melanie Walker and Mollie Neate, told the tale.

The tale featured Barti Ddu or Black Barti, a pirate from Pembrokeshire legend, the story having been told to the actors by Mollie Neate. And there was a visit from recently retired chief mechanic Tenby lifeboatman, Stephen “Teeny” Lowe, who showed pictures of a rescue at sea footage of the launch of the lifeboat and some training exercises. He explained the dangers of our seas and the stormy conditions that the current state-of-the-art Tenby lifeboat, with her brave and excellently trained lifeboat crew have to combat in order to save the lives of many people who get into difficulties in their boats off the rocks and cliffs that surround our coast.

Jim and Melanie’s idea, with the professional, exciting and fun-filled tutoring by Pete and Hannah, has been a remarkable success for all involved as well as for St Johns. It is hoped that this is just the first of many such Creative Arts Projects to be held at St Johns; keep your eyes open for the next project in the New Year.