Well-read pupils at a Hamilton school are the talk of the town after winning a prestigious national podcasting award.
Senior students at Holy Cross High have been producing their regular Reading Cafe episodes for the past three years, showcasing author interviews as well as book group discussions and even a live audience event as they aim to get friends, family and fellow pupils talking about reading.
They are now celebrating winning the “best children and young adult” category at the Independent Podcast Awards in London, beating professional competitors to the title at an event which attracted more than 450 entries.
Holy Cross pupils have interviewed top authors including Robin Stevens, Darren Shan, Tom Oldfield and Lanarkshire’s own Marvel comic book writer and Hollywood producer Mark Millar for their regular shows.
They have also involved Primary Seven youngsters from feeder schools, who interviewed writers Aisha Bushby and Elle McNicoll at Reading Cafe transition events – with participating authors calling the podcasters “enthusiastic and passionate” and praising their “insightful” and “knowledgeable” questions.
A special Reading Cafe Live audience event featured an interview with Ann Marie Di Mambro, writer of the National 5 English set text Tally’s Blood, at which senior drama pupils performed live scenes from the play; while future podcast guests will include award-winning writers Pari Thomson, Kayvion Lewis and Kat McKenna.
English teacher Peter Kelly was instrumental in creating the podcast, along with department colleague Fiona McLachlan and school librarian Amanda McMullin, and says all of the pupils and staff involved are “delighted to have been recognised” at the industry awards, “especially as we were the only school entry among hundreds of media companies”.
He said: “I am so proud of The Reading Cafe podcast – it is a true group effort fuelled by the energy and enthusiasm of each individual staff and pupil in the team. We will continue to develop the podcast to offer exciting opportunities for young people, as well as a brilliant listening experience for our growing audience.”
The Hamilton school’s podcast was praised in a 2022 Scottish Parliament motion by Uddingston & Bellshill representative Stephanie Callaghan, and has also been supported by the Scottish Book Trust and featured in education magazines.
Holy Cross pupils and staff welcomed South Lanarkshire education committee chair Councillor Lynsey Hamilton to the school to help celebrate their impressive podcast award win.
She congratulated the team on their “fantastic achievement” and said: “It was great to visit and hear just how much hard work goes into each episode – the popularity of podcasts has skyrocketed and the young people are learning skills in an ever-expanding industry that can help them further their careers.”
Their success comes just after South Lanarkshire Libraries was highly commended for the service’s Lending Voices portable podcasting project at the Scottish Library and Information Council awards, gaining recognition for lending out equipment including microphones, headphones and laptops for community groups to make recordings and “to share stories, ideas and knowledge, enriching local culture and creating a sense of community”.
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