CHILDREN from three schools in the Tamar Valley are gearing up for celebrations of their work on Rags to Riches, a project which has explored local stories about Cornish Mining Heritage in West Devon.

Driven by economic necessity and sustained by the lure of wealth, the storyline of Cornish Mining has been a never-ending cycle of boom and bust, hope and despair; rags to riches.

Children from Tavistock College, St Peter's Primary and Bere Alston Primary have been at work with a team headed by artist Jo Tyler, who lives and works in the Tamar Valley.

They have worked alongside local graphic designer, Cas Smirthwaite; enjoyed drama, music and creative-writing with local author Jonti Marks and animation with Tony Smith, Chris Eales and Chloe Cooley from Plymouth College of Art.

These are just some of the activities which have unearthed a rich seam of stories about the local heritage.

The Tamar Trails Centre has hosted several of the training events for children and teachers.

During half term groups of young people attended workshops with potter Rosie Fierek and metal smith Maria Whetman exploring the uses of copper and tin that were mined in the Tamar Valley.

Kate Blake, manager at the Tamar Trails Centre, said: 'It's been great being involved with Rags to Riches.

'Lots of children and families come to the centre for fun activities like tree-surfing without really knowing how this incredible landscape was shaped by mining or why the Tamar Valley is a world heritage site.'

Visual artist Jo Tyler, the creative force behind the project, has helped children design a 'diaspora map' incorporating Bere Alston Primary School pupils' designs, showing the different parts of the world where the Cousin Jacks and Jennies — or Cornish miners and their wives — ended up.

This map will be on permanent display at Plymouth Station in platform 3, as a lasting legacy from the children who produced it to hard working miners and their families who had to leave when the industry collapsed in the 1860s.

Jo said some of the school children involved in the project took the train from Bere Alston to Plymouth last week to see their map installed, singing Cornish mining songs just like thousands of miners did in the nineteenth century before they embarked for America.

'The map will be available for the public to view at Plymouth Station for years hence and we are also planning an exhibition of ceramics and creative writing engraved onto slate at the Tamar Trails Centre in Gulworthy over the Easter holidays,' said Jo.