TALENTED and artistic pupils of Runcorn have contributed their skills to create an easter egg, representative of Halton, as part of a huge creative Easter display in Liverpool.
Children from seven different schools surrounding the city have designed their very own eggs that now sit centre stage in popular shopping district, Liverpool One, in honour of Ukraine and the countries cherished tradition of egg painting.
The project titled Pysanka Eggs is a partnership between Liverpool City Council and Liverpool ONE which highlights their unity with Ukraine, with the upcoming Eurovision song contest being held in the vibrant city.
Pupils from Murdishaw West Community Primary School in Runcorn collaborated with artist, Caroline Daly, to create their masterpiece for the project - The Murdichords Caring Owl – nicknamed by the children as Morris.
The inspiration behind Morris came from the children wanting to express being ‘united through music’ as well as ‘things that have a positive effect on our wellbeing’, Caroline explained.
“The design features a lot of symbolism. The butterfly symbolises positive change and a love of nature.
“The acorn symbolises strength and persistence as well nature’s positive effect on mental health and wellbeing.
“There are also lots of hearts and flowers to spread love to the Ukrainian community and to send out positive vibes throughout Liverpool and Europe.”
Julie Phillips, art and design lead and deputy headteacher at Murdishaw West Community Primary School spoke of the ‘honour’ of having her pupils contribute to the display.
“The children thoroughly enjoyed working with our artist, Caroline Daly, and to now see their work on display in such a public place; what a very special experience.
“A real opportunity to appreciate and evaluate their own work of art. As a school, we know what a vital role the arts and culture have in our curriculum, so enriching opportunities like these play a pivotal role.”
The project is part of EuroLearn and has been able to go ahead thanks to crucial funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund with additional support from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
“The children were absolutely fantastic to work with. I wish they could help me with all of my projects,” Caroline added.
Funding from Spirit of 2012 will also support EuroLearn, as well as the future evaluation of Eurovision’s benefit to the city region.
Led by Liverpool City Council’s culture Liverpool team, alongside a wide range of creative partners, this is the first time a host city has offered an engagement programme of this scale.
The community activity was an integral part of the successful bid and one of the main reasons that Liverpool was chosen to host the song contest on behalf of Ukraine.
Alongside the display, an online artist-developed resource pack is available to download via the Culture Liverpool website, enabling not only schools, but people of any age to get involved.
“The children were absolutely fantastic to work with. I wish they could help me with all of my projects,” Caroline added.
Claire McColgan CBE, Director of Culture Liverpool, said: “It is incredibly exciting to see the culmination of the first EuroLearn project.
“It is a special moment for children right across the region, as well as those in our Ukrainian community, to have their artwork on display in a public place which is set to welcome tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world.
“It’s been so heartening to see how the children have embraced the significant cultures and traditions of Ukraine, which are reflected in the designs, and for them to gain a greater understanding of belonging, unity and hope.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here