All Creatures Great And Small!
Colourful, pretty, bright, amazing, creative and wonderful! – just some of the words used by children at Cleddau Reach to describe a new mural decorating the entrance to their school.
The mural by artist and writer Fran Evans of Llangwm depicts all sorts of creatures found in the local countryside, from foxes to moles, squirrels, rabbits, owls, bats, kingfishers, and many more.
And the inspiration for each animal came directly from pictures drawn by the pupils themselves, as Fran explains. “I held workshops with each of the classes focusing on different habitats, and the drawings from these sessions became the basis for the mural,” she said. “I tried to be really true to what they drew and their use of colours.”
Fran was keen to encourage the children to draw wildlife from their local countryside and the shores of the nearby Cleddau estuary.
“I wanted them to think about the creatures that live around us – in brackish water, in the woods and so on,” she said.
“It’s about making the school really individual and personal to Llangwm and the surrounding area.”
Nick Groves, headteacher at Cleddau Reach, said the mural provided a welcoming and inspiring entrance to the school and would be used to stimulate pupils’ imaginations in various literacy projects in the summer term.
“It’s been to bring together all the classes in the school in a project based on their local environment, and reflecting the fact that Cleddau Reach is a village school in a rural village community,” he said.
“It’s also been lovely for the children to see their sketches brought to life on the wall and it’s bound to inspire their imaginations coming into school!”
Spotted something? Got a story? Email News@News.Wales
