Fledge Town Origins

Liane and I published Sailplaning, Creating a 4-D Life and Career in December 2023 (www.sailplaning.co.uk) after a very enjoyable experience writing together. Very soon after we were ready to discuss our next project, considering a range of options.

My inspiration for creating Fledge Town grew out of curiosity.

I have a direct sight of (what I believe) is the largest Jackdaw nest situated in the neighbouring park. I can see the huge nest from various rooms in my house. The Jackdaws fly in large groups in and round my garden. They are cheeky characters (regularly stealing my hen’s food), and at times are annoyingly noisy.

Rather than allowing my annoyance to grow I decided to do some research. I found out that Jackdaws live in large communities and usually take on different roles, supporting and caring for one another. I started to view these birds differently, with my admiration growing for their many qualities and intelligence.

I started to imagine a community of colourful birds, free of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic backgrounds – moreover free of job titles. Each young bird being white (called a Fumfy, after what my Mum used to call dandelion seeds), and only changing colour once they met a role undertaken by other birds in Fledge Town. I name them all, Lina birds, a combination of Liane’s and my name.

I wrote my first story, “When” in June 2024 and shared it with my daughter, Ellana, a Primary School teacher. Her response,

“I like the story Mum, but children prefer rhyme. It’s more fun to listen to and rhyme helps to hold their attention.”

Poetry is something I always enjoyed. As a child, I won Burns recital competitions and was invited to recite poetry at various Ayrshire Burns Federation events. I also dappled in writing stories and a little poetry, but these creative moments were personal.

Fledge Town stories started to flow, often sparked by something I had seen or heard. Stories and some activities were tested with my daughter’s Primary 4 class (aged 7 and 8). We all had a great time, with the children becoming my main inspiration. The class came up with lots of ideas and during a visit when both Liane and I were present, they voted to name one of the new characters – “Gwana”, a green Lina, who is the keeper of rules.

Lis McGuire (a fellow career development professional) introduced me to Katharine Martin, whose ambition was to illustrate children’s books. I have loved watching Fledge Town come to life each time Katharine creates a fresh image of each character.

This story of Fledge Town’s origins comes a full circle, back to Liane and I working together on Fledge Town. Building a philosophy and a plan to shape Fledge Town into a new Career Education Programme.

We hope that you and the children you teach have great fun within Fledge Town stories and activities. We anticipate that each child will discover more about themselves and the world of work and whilst developing skills that will help them manage their career through school and their transition to adult life.

Lorna Stalker

I have also signed a contract with Pegasus Publishing for one of the other Fledge Town stories – The Cheese Wedge of Doom. Coming to bookshops in 2026.

Click Next to explore how Fledge Town is mapped to the UNCRC and curriculum outcomes