The celebrated children’s author, Hilary Robinson, will accompany secondary school students in Cornwall on a unique First World War battlefield tour, in March 2018.

The free tour, run by the UCL Institute of Education (IOE) and tours provider Equity as part of the government funded centenary education programme, will enable students to gain a tangible insight into the lives and experiences of soldiers who fought in the war, many of whom fill the pages of Hilary’s books on the conflict.

Students will visit the battlefield sites in Ypres and The Somme over a four-day period, and take part in a workshop led by Hilary on the way in which writing, art, music and drama come together to enliven students’ study of the war.

Students will also focus on Hilary’s book A Song for Will, which charts the story of the gardeners and outdoor staff who worked on the Lost Gardens of Heligan estate in Cornwall, as they departed for the trenches. Martin Impey, who illustrated the book, will join Hilary in accompanying students.

The tour, in March 2018, is a literature-themed version of the battlefield tours that are running until 2019, to commemorate a century since the First World War.

Secondary schools in Cornwall will be able to send two students and one teacher on the trip, and join more than 1,500 schools from across England that have already taken advantage of the free, Government-funded initiative.

Teachers who are interested should apply to participate as soon as possible, via the programme website www.centenarybattlefieldtours.org.