Ross-shire primary pupils put in frame for art competition to mark King's coronation

PRIMARY school pupils from across Ross and Cromarty, Skye and Lochalsh are being invited to take part in a special art competition to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and The Queen Consort.

The Lord-Lieutenant, Joanie Whiteford who is organising the competition in conjunction with Highland Council and local artist Lizzie McDougall, said: “It is widely recognised that the life-long passion of His Majesty the King is the natural environment.By celebrating the coronation through art our primary school pupils have an opportunity to get creative and showcase the rich and varied wildlife of Ross, Cromarty and Skye while also learning more about nature.”

She added: “I hope that teachers and pupils will enjoy taking part in this group art project and I really look forward to seeing the talented young people come up with pieces that capture the beauty and uniqueness of our natural environment.”

Chairman of the council’s education committee, John Finlayson encourages schools to take part. He said: “The coronation will be an historic moment, and this competition is about coming together and enjoying creating something special to mark a moment of history and celebrating our appreciation of where we live.”

The competition has six themes which are:

• Trees

• Wildflowers

• Seashore/shells

• Mountains, Moorland, Moss, Lichens and Grasses

• Birds

• Animals and Insects

To provide some inspiration and details on how to enter, a short information film has been produced by the council’s digital education and learning team and circulated to schools. It includes an introduction by the Lord-Lieutenant followed by ideas, helpful tips, and a demonstration on how to collate entries into a collage by local artist and storyteller Lizzie McDougall.

The closing date for entries is April 21. Judging will take place between April 24-26 and the results declared by April 28.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.