Inspiring stories about school projects that make a difference. Stella O'Toole has succeeded in turning textiles into one of the most popular subjects at Heywood Community School by bringing to it energy, enthusiasm and a bag of rags from a local factory. Stella was employed by the school with the challenge to revive textile teaching. A challenge that was made all the greater when her classroom burnt down. Undaunted, Stella succeeded in restoring the classroom and broadening the appeal of her subject to include boys as well as girls. Stella succeeded because of an infectious fervour and by demonstrating that textiles doesn't mean making hankies or socks but producing hats and bags in graffiti designs. With a budget of just £400 for materials, she was able to build up an extensive stock of fancy cloth by getting offcuts from local firms.

Video Series: Inspirations
Release Date 2005