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28 June 2025

Posted by Frankie

Junior & Young Writers: Week 9 - New Forest - Smugglers Tales

Hi Writers,

This week, our groups delved into local smuggling legends! Inspired by a real-life heroine of the smuggling world, we stepped back in time and imagined what it might have been like to live life on the edge as a smuggler.

Check-In: How Was Your Week… as a Stolen Item?
We kicked things off with a playful check-in, where writers described their week as a stolen item—who stole it, and where it ended up!

  • Junior Group: Highlights included a teacher stealing candyfloss from a child, and a crystal lost in a river.
  • Young Writers: This group gave us a singular stolen sock, and someone clever enough to steal and complete their homework.

A Bit of History
Claire shared some fascinating insights into our local smuggling past. We discovered that smuggling hotspots included Sway, Fordingbridge, Beaulieu, Bucklers Hard, Cranborne, Christchurch, Lymington, Boldre, Chewton Bunny, and Burley.
We also read about our heroine of the day in 'The Cape of Lovey Warne – Smugglers Stories' from New Forest Myths and Folktales by Brice Stratford.

Writing Task: Lovey's POV or Choose-Your-Own-Adventure
After watching a short video about Lovey Warne's adventures, the task was set:

  • Write from Lovey Warne's perspective (or another family member's), as a journal entry, fairy tale, or crime novel.
OR
  • Create a choose-your-own-adventure story featuring Lovey and the world of smugglers.

Junior Writers
  • Henry wrote from the perspective of a priest trying to catch the smugglers.
  • Evan took us on an adventurous journey with Peter the smuggler.
  • Eddy created a choose-your-own-adventure starring Lovey herself.
  • Elsie crafted a diary entry in Lovey's voice.
  • Anna offered a unique twist—writing from the perspective of Lovey's ghost.

Young Writers
  • Daisy painted vivid, atmospheric scenes of the smugglers' forest route.
  • Catherine gave us an intense glimpse of Lovey on the run.
  • Sonny introduced an entirely new smuggler to the scene.
  • Ava experimented with voice and internal thoughts of a character on the edge.

An unlikely anti-hero, Lovey reminded us of the women so often lost to history. Writing about legends close to home added an extra thrill to the session. The unique character voices and bold storytelling captured the daring, dangerous spirit of the smugglers' world beautifully.

Frankie :)
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