Northfleet Diaries
We’re inviting residents of Northfleet to take part in a creative storytelling contest that celebrates physical activity in the local area.
Your stories will help us understand what it feels like to move, exercise, and take part in activity locally. From gyms and fitness studios, to parks, walking trails, and even your own garage workout space.
And the twist?
You won’t tell the story from your perspective. You’ll tell it from the point of view of the equipment you use or the space you’re in.
Who can enter ?
To take part, you must:
Live in Northfleet
Submit an original story from the perspective of an object or location involved in physical activity
All ages are welcome, including children and young people.
Entries will be broken down into age groups:
Early Years ( up-to 6 years old)
Children (7-12 years old)
Teens (13-17 years old)
Adults (18-64 years old)
Older Adults (65+ years)
Story Requirements:
Written story - this could be an essay, poem, short story, up-to 1000 words max, in any language
Video/performance arts; 3 to 5 minutes in length
Visual arts such as a painting, sculpture, drawing, etc. max 3 piece submission
Deadline to submit your work…
All entries must be submitted by 5pm on Wednesday 19 August
How to submit your work:
1. Post it to us: The Grand: Healthy Living Centre, 4-9 Wilfred Street, Gravesend, DA12 2HA
2. Drop it off at one of our community partners:
The Grand Healthy Living Centre, 4-9 Wilfred Street, Gravesend, DA12 2HA
St. Botolph’s Church, The Hill, Northfleet, DA11 9EU
Lawn Family Hub, Lawn Rd, Northfleet, Gravesend DA11 9HB
Northfleet Family Hub, Hall Road, Northfleet, Gravesend, DA11 8AJ,
The Hive Library, 10-11 Hive Ln, Northfleet, Gravesend DA11 9DE
3. email it to us:
graveshamdiarysubmission@gmail.com
Clearly label your work with:
Your full name
Address
Email address
Phone number
Age
Title of your work
Ways to get started…
Choose a physical activity you will do locally – can be something you normally do or completely new!
A session at a local gym or fitness studio
A walk around Northfleet
A sports session at a community space
Exercise in your garage, garden, or living room
A playful activity with your children
A class, club, or community session
2. Pick an object or an environment/place involved with that activity. For example:
A football
A yoga mat
A pair of running shoes
A water bottle
A park
A walking/biking path
A fitness studio
A playground
Community/leisure centres
3. After you do the activity using the object, tell your story, imagining the object has thoughts, feelings, and its own version of events. Ask yourself:
What did it see?
What did it feel?
What challenges did it face?
Who did it interact with?
What did it notice about your day, your surroundings, or your community?
Who was there? Who was missing?
Potential Prompts to help with story ideas…
About the Object’s Day
Where did I go today?
Who carried me, kicked me, held me, or ignored me?
What did I notice about the places we visited?
About Physical Experience
How did it feel to be used? Was it smooth, awkward, exciting, tiring?
What movements or moments stood out?
About Barriers
Was there anything that made the journey difficult? A place, situation, or feeling?
About Joy or Connection
What moments made me feel useful, happy, connected, or part of something bigger?
About Northfleet
What did I see or sense about life, community, or activity here?
This project is part of our partnership work with Active Kent and Medway and funded by Sport England