The Sea Swallow Education Pack by Chris Culshaw has over 30 exercises for teachers and other youth leaders to use with children aged seven to eleven, including print-out worksheets and support materials. These tie in to The Sea Swallow book by Gareth Thompson, but many exercises can be used on their own.

Kind words about The Sea Swallow: find out what others think of the book. If you would like to share your thoughts about The Sea Swallow with others, you can visit our facebook page, twitter @mythiccoast, or leave reviews on amazon.co.uk.

“A very special book… very impressive”

School Librarian Journal

“Gareth Thompson’s atmospheric and haunting story is greatly enhanced by Hannah Megee’s beautiful and unusual illustrations”

Adèle Geras

“A beautiful and intriguing adventure book… aptly rhapsodic… wonderfully evocative”

Books For Keeps

“Stunning… magical… a visual and thought-provoking treat”

Louise Furness, Westmorland Gazette

“A moving and powerful fairytale for our times”

Adrian Hardy, Mansfield Chad

“Beautifully produced in traditional style… will undoubtedly delight any grown-up too”

Sue Allan, Cumbria Life

Enjoy the hardback of The Sea Swallow; audiobooks and e-books will be coming soon.

The Sea Swallow Book
The beautiful hardback already enjoyed by thousands of children.
Price: £9.99

The artistic team who created The Sea Swallow include the critically-acclaimed author, Gareth Thompson, illustrator, Hannah Megee and public artist, Stephen Broadbent.

Gareth Thompson

 Gareth grew up in northern England, returning to his native Cumbria after a career in music journalism in London. Inspired by the dramatic landscapes around him he began writing fiction. His big break came when Booker-listed novelist John Murray spotted Gareth’s  talent for prose through a Cumbria / North West Arts new writers scheme. His first three books were published by Random House as part of their ‘Definitions’ imprint and met with immediate critical acclaim.

“I was approached to write The Sea Swallow by Jake Hope from Lancashire Libraries when we met at a North West librarians’ convention where I was a speaker.”

Gareth admits he was initially daunted by the huge scope of The Sea Swallow commission. A breakthrough came when he engaged with the local community.

“We ran a story-gathering weekend in Fleetwood and it was here that I picked up plenty of local and historical colour. I was overwhelmed by the information that came in. This area has such history, much of it built on tragedy, yet there is a really strong sense of community here.”

Gareth has also worked in ecological  campaigning and this also influenced his work.

“Underlying the story is the idea of our greater tragedy waiting to unfold as sea levels rise and volcanic land is pushed out to sea, set to unleash further tsunamis.”

Gareth hopes the story will be widely read far beyond this region, and be seen as a real English fairytale, providing an engaging message for the times we live in.
Find out more at: www.gareththompson.co.uk

Hannah Megee

Hannah was setting up the show for her Masters Degree in Authorial Illustration at University College Falmouth when her tutor told her about the Wyre Way Mythic Coastline Competition. Although she was previously unpublished as a book illustrator, The Sea Swallow’s themes of myth, narrative and the coastal setting immediately caught her imagination.

“I have spent most of my life by the sea as I grew up in Totnes, Devon. The sea and its importance to coastal communities both as a source of danger and as a means of making a living are what I know.”

Hannah submitted her two pieces to the competition and was short-listed to the final six. Hannah stunned the judges with her distinctive drawings, which meld traditional illustration with a contemporary twist and which instinctively captured the themes of magic, mythology and nature and her immediate grasp of the project’s aims.
She was in the Orkney Isles when she heard that had beaten over 100 other illustrators and secured the commission.

“I was absolutely thrilled.”

Since then Hannah has spent time on the Wyre Coast, getting a feel for the landscape which she finds such a contrast to her native Devon.

“I love the flatness here, the sense of space. I love the way the whole project connects the disparate elements of the Wyre coastline.”

As the youngest member of the team Hannah was nervous about her role in the project.

“But working with Gareth and Stephen has been so easy; they are both so full of enthusiasm, and Litfest has given me a lot of freedom. They placed a lot of trust in me.”
Hannah hopes the project will create greater interest in the area and inspire others to draw and tell stories.

Stephen Broadbent

Stephen consulted on the designs for the award-winning ‘People’s Promenade’ at Cleveleys. Stephen has big plans for The Sea Swallow trail that include a life-size ogre’s paddle, a striking wall of words commemorating Wyre shipwrecks and two sea swallows adorning a 10 metre welcome beacon.

“The coastline has inspired a great story, wonderful illustrations and now a series of dramatic artworks for the coastline. I hope that the The Sea Swallows will be seen as the symbolic guardians of the town, directing people to the promenade and marking the start point of the Mythic Coastline that people can walk or cycle.”

Stephen studied sculpture for four years under Arthur Dooley (1929 – 1994) who is famed for his religious sculptures across Merseyside.
He had his first one-man exhibition in London in 1982 and from there rose to the challenge of producing increasingly larger public sculptures and urban design projects.

In the early 1990s he established the creative design company Broadbent which has public art in Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Chester and Blackburn among others.

Stephen works by taking time to look for visual clues in his environment and hearing the voices of a locality in order to unravel the story to inform his artistic response. His approach ensures that his work leaves a legacy relevant to the area that will continue to engage people.

Andy Darby

Andy Darby, Litfest’s Artistic Director, edited The Sea Swallow and has worked closely with Wyre Borough Council to launch the Mythic Coastline project. The two organisations also devised the Mythic Coastline Competition to find a talented illustrator for the book.

“We were so fortunate to have a great writer on board and we needed a illustrator who could invoke the spirit, history and folklore of this fascinating landscape and give the book another dimension.”
Litfest is committed to the project heart, body and soul.

“What is so engaging about the Wyre Mythic Coast scheme is that it has involved locals every step of the way, from having a say in the shape of the sea defences and the fact that they should incorporate art and appeal aesthetically, through to ongoing work to involve people of all ages in learning about the history of the coast, and the folklore of the area.”

Andy has been Artistic Director at Lifest since 1996 during which time he has taken the organisation from annual literature festival to literature development agency, festival and publisher.

Andy chaired the National Association for Literature Development from 2005 until 2009 and in 2004 provided consultancy services to the British Council Crossing Borders project. He has also worked as a professional actor.

Foxtail

The latest addition to the Litfest family, Foxtail is a publishing imprint dedicated to young readers. The Sea Swallow is Foxtail’s first publication.

www.litfest.org/foxtail

Litfest

Litfest is Lancaster’s annual literature festival and literature development agency, incorporating Flax Books and the new Foxtail imprint. Litfest also runs event programmes and workshops throughout the year and explores the possibilities that literature offers, on the page and on the stage. The Poetry Bookcase is a Litfest initiative showcasing a wide selection of contemporary poetry from small and independent publishers from the UK and beyond.

www.litfest.org

Getting to Wyre and getting around

Wyre has a very good network of urban and rural public transport facilities with regular bus, tram and trains running in and out of the borough.

By Road

Located off the M6 between junctions 32 and 33, Wyre is easily accessible. The M55 and A586 also provide access to Wyre’s coastal resorts. All Wyre’s attractions will provide directions upon request and look out for the brown tourism signs. Wyre has several Tourist Information Centres that can provide you with more information.

By Train

Wyre has a well frequented train station at Poulton-le-Fylde. Train times are available on the National Rail Enquiry line on 08457 484950 or on the National Rail Enquiries website

By Bus and Tram

For local Handybus, Bus and Tram services telephone Blackpool Transport Services on 01253 473233. You can also collect transport timetables from Wyre’s Tourist Information Centres

Stagecoach North West provides services throughout Wyre borough, their traveline number is 0871 2002233.

National Express Coach Services operate to and from the area throughout the year, their inquiry line is 08717 818178

By Air

Wyre is also conveniently located close to Blackpool International Airport, now flying to and from over 20 destinations. To find out more call 0844 482 7171 or visit www.blackpoolinternational.com

By Ferry

Wyre Marine Services runs a daily ferry service between Fleetwood and Knott End. For more information and sailing times call 07793 270 934 or click here

Wyre is situated in the red rose county of Lancashire and stretches from the west coast and the Forest of Bowland. In Wyre you will find the seaside towns that inspired The Sea Swallow, Fleetwood and Cleveleys, the market towns of Poulton-le-Fylde and Garstang as well as many rural villages.

Just a stone’s throw away are the bright lights of Blackpool, charming Lytham St.Anne’s, Lancaster Morecambe and the Lune Valley as well as the vibrant city of Preston.

Its location means Wyre is an area of surprising contrasts from beautiful countryside to bustling towns, village life and the amazing stretch of coastline that makes up the Mythic Coast.

Wyre Council secured financial backing from the European Regional Development Fund and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment’s Sea Change development fund that made the Mythic Coastline project possible. Find out more about Wyre Council at their website.

Litfest, Lancashire’s literary development agency, oversaw the development and publication of The Sea Swallow, commissioning the author and illustrator, designing the book and this website. Litfest also delivered supporting material and events, such as an education pack and storytelling training for teachers and local volunteers.

The public art studio Broadbent is overseeing the redevelopment of the Wyre Coast and is designing the sculptures that will accompany The Sea Swallow and form part of the Sea Swallow Trail. Broadbent worked with Wyre Borough Council, Ferguson Mcilveen, and Faber Maunsell to create Cleveleys’ Promenade and Sea Defence scheme. Unique seating solutions, lighting columns and shelters are integrated into the sea defence scheme.