BARROW AFC'S BLUEY GOES BACK TO SCHOOL
Bringing History to Life: Teachers Take Barrow 125 Training Day
A Different Kind of Training Day
Barrow AFC mascot Bluey joined local teachers and club staff in a training day with a difference as part of the Barrow 125 initiative.
Walking the Heritage Trail
The training, which aims to provide educational links to Barrow AFC and Barrow itself in the classroom for local children, began with a visit to where the Heritage Trail (the plaques for which are sponsored by the local Unite Union branch) is planned.
Teachers visited sites such as the Strawberry Ground, where the first match was played. There are also stages which celebrate the town's submarine heritage, especially the launch of the Holland submarine, which shares its 125th anniversary year, having taken place on 2nd October 1901.
Voices from the Classroom
Brisbane Park teacher Nicola Corlett felt it really "brought learning to life", especially "looking around and visiting the different locations in the town." These included areas such as Douglas Street in Vickerstown, for both the links to housing at the time and to club legend Brian Arrowsmith, and the Walney link to international football icon Pelé and New York Cosmos, through local player Keith Eddy.
Lucy Pickering from Sacred Heart thought the Heritage Trail would be "very valuable and easy to implement into children's learning." The trainees also visited Barrow Cemetery to show how the individual histories of local players and fans could be used to teach topics such as remembrance and the First World War in a meaningful way.
Into the Cross Bar and Holker Street
Much of the workshop, led by local head teacher and Bluebirds fan Steve Herbert, took place in the Cross Bar, where teachers were joined by BAFC Community's Lead Tracey Ivison and Events Manager Sam Lawson, as well as Bluey himself. They also gave teachers an insight into the community opportunities available at Holker Street, with a tour of the ground.
For St George's, History Lead Briony Coglan said, "The training was interesting and informative, giving a different perspective to life in Barrow. It highlighted different approaches to promote a sense of pride in our children, developing their sense of belonging and community."
Munitions, Women's Football and Wembley
Teachers took part in various sessions, one of which highlighted the role women's football played at Holker Street through the Vickers Munitions matches in the Second World War, and the jobs thousands of local women did in the factories, building on research from Cumbria Archive, Manchester artist Sarah Hardacre, and the Bluebirds Trust's "All Women, All Bluebirds" initiative in 2024. The internationally known Football Heritage Podcast also provided help and advice, as did the Football Makes History European network.
Much enjoyed was a modelled English lesson based around Barrow's two winning goals at Wembley in the 2010 FA Trophy Final. This involved a technique called "Readers Theatre", where the trainees worked together to reproduce Peter Drury's iconic commentary on the victory.
Teachers Reflect on the Project
Roose School's RE and English Lead Jule Birkett enjoyed the course and said, "As a teacher, I see the Barrow 125 project as a fantastic opportunity to help children explore their local surroundings and understand how the history of football has helped shape Barrow." Natalie Porter of St James' agreed, saying that "children will enjoy learning the history of Barrow through the context of football."
A Wider Celebration
Led by the Bluebirds Trust, Barrow AFC and their community arm, as well as award-winning fanzine Give 'Em Beans, Barrow 125 has seen an exhibition at the Dock Museum, a re-enactment of the original 1901 game, and an iconic "Iron Ore and Shipbuilders' Tea" fan display, with an enormous Barrow skyline banner containing the names of all the players who have worn the famous shirt since 1901.
The day finished on the balcony at the Town Hall, where Paul Jones and Kenny Gordon had held aloft the FA Trophy in 2010 and 1990 with thousands of celebrating Barrovians.
"I must thank the Town Council, the 1901 Club from the Bluebirds Trust, and Unite for allowing us to get this far," said Herbert. "It's been a fantastic start, football, history and local pride connect so well to build community understanding through Barrow soccer and the beautiful game."
What's Next
This starts with a children's writing workshop on 2nd October at the ground, and a pop-up Shipbuilders to Stadium Exhibition before the Wealdstone game on Saturday 3rd.
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