• Hirst Festival united Ashington: 1,593 people enjoyed creative, festive family events.
• Boosting local talent: 12 freelancers, 10 businesses, and 34 volunteers supported the festival.
• Exciting 2026 ahead: Ashington based creative charity Mortal Fools is planning more free events and creative opportunities for the community.

From October to December, Mortal Fools brought creativity, sparkle, and festive fun to the heart of Ashington with Hirst Festival. Produced by the Ashington-based children’s creative charity in partnership with Hirst Welfare Centre, the free winter festival welcomed a total of 1,593 people across the events programme.

​The festival offered a warm and welcoming space for Ashington residents, families, young people, and visitors to come together, have fun, and get creative. Over the course of the programme, the community enjoyed a magical mix of events, including a themed silent disco, an enchanting outdoor light installation, a creative family day, a pop-up cinema, a creative wellbeing day for two local schools, artist-led workshops, and themed celebrations for Halloween and Christmas.

More than just a series of events, Hirst Festival became a celebration of creativity, connection, and community spirit, bringing people together and inspiring new experiences.

Families had a wonderful time-sharing memorable moments, one parent said, “Fantastic morning for family memories. Our children haven’t stopped smiling.” Others praised the festival as a highlight of the season: “This needs to be an annual event!” and “Would be lovely to see more of this in Ashington. My daughter loved it.” Attendees especially appreciated the chance for screen-free family time, with one noting, “Fantastic opportunity to spend time with children away from screens. The smiles on their faces were priceless.” This feedback reflected the joy and excitement the festival brought to the Ashington community.

Supporting local talent and the economy was also at the heart of the festival. The programme created paid work for 12 local freelancers and 10 local businesses, while providing opportunities for 34 local volunteers, whose enthusiasm and pride helped make the festival welcoming, inclusive, and enjoyable for all.

Mortal Fools Executive Director, Ellie Turner, reflected on the festival’s impact:

“Hirst Fest was a joyful celebration of Ashington’s creativity and community spirit. Our team loved meeting new faces and seeing people come together. The outdoor artwork was a beautiful way to welcome those who were new to Mortal Fools and invite them to feel part of something special. This is just the start; we’re excited to build on this momentum with more events that connect, inspire creativity, and share experiences with and for our community.”

Echoing the power of partnership, Hirst Welfare Community Engagement and Fundraising Officer, Helen Rae, said:

“We loved working with Mortal Fools on Hirst Festival. Together and we learnt so much through the collaboration. It was great to see Hirst Welfare filled with laughter, positivity, and the community coming together, and we can’t wait to do more together in the future.”

Looking ahead to 2026, Mortal Fools are rounding out an incredibly successful year as a charity and are already planning an exciting programme of free activities and creative opportunities for children, young people, families, and the wider Ashington community. Their year-round work will continue to champion creativity, connection, and community voice, building on the success of Hirst Festival.

After a fantastic festival and with an exciting year ahead, Helen Ferguson, Mortal Fools Creative Producer, said:
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“Following the success of Hirst Festival, we’re excited to be planning even more free events and activities in 2026. The Ashington community continues to inspire everything we do, and we can’t wait to create more memorable moments together.”

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About Hirst Festival
Hirst Festival was produced by Ashington-based creative children’s charity Mortal Fools in partnership with Hirst Welfare Centre and supported by Ashington Family Hub and Full Circle Food Project.

It was part of Northumberland County Council’s Animating Ashington Autumn/Winter Festival; a programme of cultural events across the town being funded by UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and North East Combined Authority, with the North East Combined Authority as lead authority.

​#UKSPF #FundedUKGovernment #NorthEastCA

Mortal Fools, a leading creative learning charity based in Northumberland, has won a prestigious Children & Young People Now Award for the impact of its innovative primary school mental health programme, MELVA. The charity took home The PSHE Education Award for its digital children’s wellbeing platform and was also named a finalist in The Mental Health and Wellbeing Award category.

The Children & Young People Now Awards celebrate innovation, excellence, and outstanding practice across the children’s services sector in the UK. MELVA’s national recognition comes at a critical time, as children’s mental health needs continue to rise and schools seek effective, preventative support.

Developed by Mortal Fools, MELVA is a whole-school creative programme designed to help children aged 7–11 understand and manage their mental health. Through creative digital resources, engaging characters, and fun practical classroom activities, the programme equips young people (and their teachers!) with essential tools to recognise emotions, build resilience, and support their own wellbeing.

In the 2025/26 academic year, nearly 150 primary schools will use the MELVA - programme benefiting upward of 10000 children during a period of escalating mental health challenges for young people.

Kiz Crosbie, Artistic Director and CEO of Mortal Fools, celebrated the national recognition, saying:

“I am delighted and proud that the impact of our Melva Digital programme has been recognised with the PSHE Award in the Children & Young People Now Awards 2025.
This national award recognises the importance and success of an early intervention and prevention approach to mental health and wellbeing and strengthens our case for cross-sector working.

We share this award with all the teachers who utilise the programme with their children, the creatives who have contributed to the programme and the key funding partners like North East Combined Authority and Kavli Trust, who have helped this programme reach tens of thousands of children so far.”

Alongside the digital programme, MELVA has recently expanded its offer with the release of a brand-new adventure book, Melva Mapletree and the Great Undoing. Described by acclaimed author David Almond as “well written, moving, humorous, emotionally honest,” the book follows the beloved character Melva as she navigates the highs and lows of growing up.

While the novel sits within the wider MELVA schools programme, it is also available to the public and can be enjoyed by young people aged 8–13, offering families an accessible and meaningful way to explore mental health themes at home. The book is available to purchase via Amazon.

With its national accolade and expanding educational offer, Mortal Fools continues to lead the way in creative, child-centred, early intervention and prevention approaches to mental health education—supporting the wellbeing of young people across the North East.

• A new children’s book created in the North East helping young people to deal with their big feelings has launched this festive season 
• Described as “Well written, moving, humorous, emotionally honest” by children’s author David Almond, Melva Mapletree and the Great Undoing follows the story of a 12 year old navigating the highs and lows of growing up 
• As well as being an entertaining read, the book will support conversations with children about difficult topics and feelings 

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A new brave, funny and unforgettable adventure book following the story of a 12 year old tackling big changes and feelings is set to delight children and adults alike this winter. 

Melva Mapletree and the Great Undoing is a new children’s book created by creative learning charity Mortal Fools, in collaboration with North East creatives including children’s writer and theatre maker Danielle Slade and illustrator Lily Mae Kroese, as well as story development support and resources from Kalmer Counselling. 



The story follows Melva Mapletree, who turns twelve only to be confronted by the chaos of growing up - from unexpected changes in her body to explosive mood swings and more. She navigates these changes with those around her, including her best friend Barnabus, her Grandpa Pebble, and even her annoying teachers.  

As well as being a comforting and entertaining read for children aged 8-13 - and their parents, teachers and carers - the story shines a light on important topics like anxiety, self-image and fitting in, dealing with change, grief, loss and self-harming behaviours, all explored with humour, warmth and sensitivity. 

Acclaimed author David Almond described the book as “Well written, moving, humorous [and] emotionally honest.” The North East-born writer of award-winning children’s fantasy novel Skellig added: “Many children will immediately relate to Melva and her world. I really enjoyed reading this book!”. 

Melva Mapletree and the Great Undoing, which is now available to buy from Amazon, is also available as part of Mortal Fools’ wider MELVA school's programme - an innovative digital media intervention designed to improve children’s knowledge and understanding of mental health and wellbeing. 

Kiz Crosbie, Mortal Fools CEO & Artistic Director, commented: “This book is dramatic and entertaining, while also covering some important themes and topics that can sometimes be difficult to talk about.  

“Co-creating it alongside inspiring artists has been a true highlight of my career; I've laughed, I've cried and I've  felt triumphant, as we've crafted this very special book.  I hope our readers enjoy it half as much as we have enjoyed making it.” 

The team developed Melva Mapletree and the Great Undoing through feedback from hundreds of children, teachers and parents during its creation.   
Children’s writer and theatre maker Danielle Slade said: “I believe every young person should read this book. It’s Melva Mapletree’s coming-of-age story - one of self-discovery, testing boundaries, and unearthing parts of her past that help her understand who she truly is.  

“It’s been created with North East young people; their worries, thoughts, feelings and wellbeing struggles helped shape the book and our characters. Young readers will recognise themselves in the book, whilst also finding joy, laughter, and a much-needed escape in Melva’s special world.” 

Illustrator Lily Mae Kroese added: “It’s been a joy to illustrate Melva Mapletree and the Great Undoing. Children and young people's emotions are important, and I hope that capturing these big feelings in illustrations helps validate, celebrate and support them. I hope our readers love the story, the illustrations and the world we’ve built together.” 

Melva Mapletree and the Great Undoing is now on sale priced at £9.99 - to learn more about the book, go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Melva-Mapletree-Great-Undoing-Mortal/dp/1919206604/.