🌿 Song of the Bal Maiden Schools Project
Morvala Festival is a Cornwall music, arts and wellbeing festival supporting community-led creative projects, including Song of the Bal Maiden, a new children’s book and schools project working with local primary schools.
At Morvala, we believe music, storytelling and creativity can bring people together in meaningful ways.
That’s why we’re proud to support the development of Song of the Bal Maiden - a new children’s book and schools project inspired by Cornwall’s mining history, folklore and language.
Created by Charlotte Badham, Morvala’s Community Engagement & Activities Manager, the story follows Morwenna, a young bal maiden working on the dressing floors of a tin mine on the Tin Coast. Strong and capable but unable to read, Morwenna forms an unlikely friendship with a boy named Thomas, who teaches her the power of words. Through that friendship, she begins to discover her own voice.
Inspired by the real lives of the women and girls who worked in Cornwall’s mines, the story introduces children to an often-overlooked part of local history through storytelling, song and simple Cornish language.
🌊 Working with Local Schools
A key part of the project is a growing schools programme rooted in the local community.
Morvala Festival will be working with pupils from:
Antony Primary School
Millbrook Primary School
Fourlanesend Primary School
Carbeile Junior School
Together, the children will explore:
Cornwall’s mining history
Cornish language and song
storytelling and creative writing
music and performance
🎶 Rame Youth Choir – Friday 26 June
As the project develops, pupils from the participating schools will come together to form the Rame Youth Choir, bringing the story to life through music.
The choir will open the Morvala Festival main stage on Friday 26 June, performing Song of the Bal Maiden alongside a selection of well-loved Cornish songs.
For many of the children involved, this will be their first experience performing at a festival - an opportunity to stand on stage, share their voices and celebrate Cornwall’s stories together.
A Festival Rooted in Community
This project reflects what Morvala hopes to build: a festival that not only brings artists and audiences to Cornwall, but also creates opportunities for young people within the local community.
Song of the Bal Maiden begins as a story about a young girl finding her voice - and through the schools programme, that story is already becoming something shared by many voices.
We’ll be sharing more updates as the project develops, and we look forward to welcoming audiences to Morvala Festival this June.
Morvala Festival
🌊 See You at Morvala 2026
25–28 June 2026 • Mount Edgcumbe, Cornwall
Four days of arts, music, nature and community.
Explore the full line-up and secure your tickets below.
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