PUPILS from Maesglas Primary School in Newport have taken part in a photography and design workshop to encourage them to get creative ahead of the coronation.
The workshop was to design a poster for Coronation Generation Challenge, a national campaign to mark the Coronation of King Charles III.
Funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the Coronation Generation Poster Design Challenge is aimed at getting young people creatively involved in the celebrations.
Posters created by pupils at Maesglas Primary School as part of the coronation celebrations
Award-winning educational charity, Ideas Foundation, which champions creativity in the classroom, is working with schools and colleges from across the UK, inviting them to design a digital poster to reflect four themes - youth, diversity, sustainability and community - as the nation looks forward to the special event.
The workshop at Maesglas Primary School saw the students working alongside professional photographers and creatives including Cannon ambassadors Clive Booth and Eliska Sky, creative and design lead Hannah Wood from Wood & Co, and Lauren Poole and Emily Cuthbert from advertising agency McCann Bristol.
They worked together to develop and hone their skills and build confidence.
Posters created by pupils at Maesglas Primary School as part of the coronation celebrations
Ideas coming from the workshop included ‘Cheers for Charles’, ‘Coronation Cup’ featuring a rugby ball being crowned, and the ‘Coronation Cwtch’ showing grinning pupils in a warm embrace.
Ideas Foundation delivered 15 in-person creative workshops across the UK.
Emma Wride, an award-winning educator who acted as the Welsh co-ordinator for the project, said: "It was great to help create awareness of potential careers in the arts and the vital role creativity plays in helping young people to express themselves, their opinions and how they feel.
Posters created by pupils at Maesglas Primary School as part of the coronation celebrations
"It was wonderful to see children with special educational needs being fully engaged with other children.”
Heather MacRae, chief executive at Ideas Foundation, said “Giving the children the chance to be creative is central to our work.
"More than 30 pupils from Maesglas Primary School worked alongside world-class creative professionals, to develop their ideas about the Coronation Generation themes and then bring their ideas to life with professional cameras and art directors.
Posters created by pupils at Maesglas Primary School as part of the coronation celebrations
"Their creativity was astounding – but more importantly they worked in teams and showed how imagination can become reality.
"The teachers are so committed to nurturing their student creativity – prioritising their experience and made us so welcome.”
For many, The King’s Coronation will be the first celebration of this type they will have ever seen.
Posters created by pupils at Maesglas Primary School as part of the coronation celebrations
It is hoped the Coronation Generation Challenge will help young people to feel part of this moment of history and engage a new generation, particularly those in areas of the UK where deprivation levels are high.
Michele Rowlands, a lead teacher at Maesglas Primary School, said: “The pupils met some amazing people who are making a living from something they love doing.
"Many of the children come from families where there are several generations of worklessness.
Posters created by pupils at Maesglas Primary School as part of the coronation celebrations
"We hope that this day will have given them a sense of their potential and what they can do with their talents.”
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