Coventry pupils encouraged to share stories by BBC stars

CBBC presenter Lee Hinchcliffe and actor Kia Pegg visited the Coventry school

Pupils at a Coventry school have been encouraged to tell their own stories in a BBC scheme to improve their wellbeing and storytelling skills.

Children at Cardinal Newman Catholic College were visited by actor Kia Pegg and CBBC presenter Lee Hinchcliffe on Tuesday as part of the initiative.

The BBC 100 Share Your Story project will see BBC stars and staff visiting 700 secondary schools across the UK.

It aims to build pupils' confidence and resilience and improve learning.

Kia, best known for her role in children's drama The Dumping Ground, shared her story with the pupils, discussing some of the challenges she has overcome, as well as her experience of social media and online bullying.

"I'm hoping there's at least one or two kids there that were like me and wanted to please people on social media and realise that actually it's not a part of life," she said.

"I think sometimes you end up back-engineering your life. Social media should be a part of your life, not how you live it."

"I just love sitting with people and hearing any story about their life. I think it's how we connect with each other. It's how we express who we are and it's how we learn who the people around us are."

An interactive storytelling session was hosted by presenter Lee Hinchliffe

The sessions, as part of the BBC's centenary year, also highlighted the range of career opportunities in storytelling at the organisation and the creative industries, both locally and across the UK.

James Stirling, BBC 100 Executive Editor, said education and learning had been "at the core of the BBC's public purpose for almost 100 years".

"In our centenary year, I'm so excited that we're able to take the BBC's education expertise and unparalleled storytelling talent into the classroom, to inspire thousands of future storytellers."