International links

We began to reach out early on – attending events in Belfast and Holland. Gradually we made contacts with people and organisations in many countries:

Egypt – In 1995 the British Council arranged a study tour for six senior ranking staff at GALAE (General Authority for Literacy and Adult Education) – the beginning of a three year project in the development of adult basic education provision in Egypt. They visited Pecket Well College expecting to come to a meeting or to observe a course but we invited them to roll up their shirt sleeves and get stuck in!. They presented us with a variety of beautiful gifts which we have treasured ever since:

For the following four years we continued to host visits from our Egyptian friends. In 1996 a group of Egyptian Literacy trainees visited Pecket and took part in a course ‘The Theory and Practice of Literacy’ which had been designed specially for them?’ Feedback from them confirmed they had been inspired to return to Egypt and encourage students’ self expression and writing.

Below is a picture of the papyrus give we were sent as a thank you:

A group of young organisers from the Egyptian Adult Literacy Programme visited centres of excellence around the UK. Gatehouse and Pecket were two of the Centres. As a result of the visit Egypticn students were inspired to write around 300 of their own books. Florence Agbah, Outreach worker for Pecket Well College at that time said: “I think it’s wonderful that our college in West Yorkshire has helped to inspire students half-way across the world.”

In April 1988 members of the writing group ‘Skriv-Knuten’ (the Writing Knot) from a folk high school in a town called Harnosand in the north of Sweden visited Pecket. Berit was one of the group and a tutor at that school. She went home and told her students who had difficulties with reading and writing about Pecket. They were impressed and wanted to make contact. Some of the group wrote letters and made donations to buy a stone from our stone appeal. Later a second group visited to carry on the partnership with Pecket. You can read more in our storeroom if you wish. Below are two of the letters were received and a group photo of the visit taken at the Town Hall in Halifax:

Two Skriv-Knuten letters

Pecket also made links with people in Canada, New Zealand, Czechoslovakia, Spain and other countries. We will add more documents to the archives as we find them.