21/06/2026
I am the Tees.
Older than your maps,
Younger than your dreams.
Iāve carried shipbuilderās sweat,
Childrenās laughter,
Seals along their journey.
Fuelled the ports, fed greening banks.
I slip through Stockton like a silver thread,
Stitching past to future with every tide.
Voices ring from history,
In the gravel and grit,
Fireworks and ironworks,
Locomotive steaming,
Whistles screaming,
Trains roll in.
Transformation, tracks leading to the future.
Intertwining and looping, swirling,
A barrage of canoes going to infinity,
A wave,
The movement of water,
The formal greeting,
Ripples of pride and acceptance,
Sapphire treasure before our eyes.
A natural bridge that unites,
A closely-knit community,
Where the empty castle once stood.
A new chapter,
Along the widest street.
At the break of day,
Silver water softly glows,
The market wakes,
Pigeons glide under the sun,
Stalls of colour,
Like summers of May.
Fruits and flowers,
Kids born and raised on a steel river,
Blossom in the heart of the town.
This is their future not their past.
We change our story,
Itās a thing of beauty and glory,
Dreaming new,
Stockton written by you.
We come together where all our hearts beat,
A place we love: Stockton High Street.
By
Nicholas (All Saints CofE Academy)
Lolah (North Shore Academy)
James, Miley, Riley and Sienna (Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth)
Amy, Daniel, Evie, Freddie, Grace, Janet, Leon, Seth, Sophie, Spencer, Tomiwa, Tristan and Wisdom (St Patrickās Catholic College)
Beaux, Christiana and Emily (Thornaby Academy)
