Inverness children's author Barbara Henderson becomes the Forth Bridge’s inaugural writer-in-residence
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An award-winning Inverness children’s author has been named as the Forth Bridge’s inaugural writer-in-residence.
Barbara Henderson, twice winner of the Historical Association’s Young Quills Award for historical fiction for young people, will begin her residency this weekend.
She will be attending the Your View at the Forth Bridge, a fundraising event in aid of Barnardo’s, where she will seek to speak to attendees and gather their Forth Bridge memories.
“I can’t wait to hear what this bridge means to everyone, young and old. My own wedding reception was held beneath it, and Queensferry was our go-to destination for day trips when we lived in Edinburgh,” she said.
She will be there all day on Sunday but if people have any stories which they would like to share with her, and can’t attend on the day, they should contact her at @scattyscribbler on Twitter and Instagram or via her website.
The drama teacher is the author of eight books – mostly children’s historical fiction – and a frequent guest at schools and book festivals.
Her forthcoming children’s title Rivet Boy is set to be published in February next year and will focus on a real-life Dunfermline boy who fell from the Forth Bridge during its construction in 1889 and survived unhurt.
"It was such a privilege to return to the Firth of Forth to research the settings of the book, many of which were old haunts for me," she said. "I had a lot of help from the local research group The Briggers who gave me invaluable advice and information. The residency idea grew from there."
Dr Miles Oglethorpe of Historic Environment Scotland agreed and said: "As chairman of the Forth Bridge World Heritage Management Group, I think that the bridge is one of the most inspiring subjects for both children and adults and is a fantastic learning resource.
"As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the expectation is that we share our monument with the world and maximise its potential as an educational and scientific cultural resource. We believe that having a Writer in Residence promoting writing, drama and art, is a brilliant way of working towards this goal."
In her role as writer-in-residence Henderson hopes to deliver a combination of school and public events and is also working on an adult non-fiction proposal relating to the Forth Bridge in collaboration with a photographer.
She said: "I hope to engage in activities which will benefit the many organisations involved in looking after the Forth Bridge, and which will stretch me as a writer.
"The beauty of an author residency is that there is no rule book – it can be whatever works best for everyone. I’m so excited to get started."
