Up to 1,500 children and their families are expected to take part in an arts-themed treasure hunt in the Patchway and Bradley Stoke areas this week, as part of a project organised by Patchway Community College.
The Great Art Hunt, a cross between a treasure hunt and an arts trail, takes its inspiration from the success of the Gorillas and Gromits across Bristol, using individual and beautiful trees that children have been decorating in three schools across the area.
Every class from Stoke Lodge Primary, Wheatfield Primary and Meadowbrook Primary has made a tree that will be hosted across Patchway and Bradley Stoke for people to find.
Leading up to the event, children have been creating ‘pom poms’ from old school uniform and making ‘trees’ using unused, unwanted books – giving the pages a new lease of life and connecting with the launch of this year’s summer reading challenge, Mythical Maze.
Students from Patchway Community College have been busy helping to deliver the art projects to the primary school children as well as ‘yarn bombing’ their very own shopping trolley, kindly donated by Asda.
Sherie Humphreys, creative agent at Patchway Community College, said:
“We chose a tree for the arts trail as it encapsulated the spirit of our project; growing our communities to create unity. It has been amazing to see the imaginations of the primary pupils really come to life in the trees; I’m overwhelmed at what they have produced.”
Miss Pasco, Year 5 teacher at Stoke Lodge Primary School, said:
“The project allowed pupils to express their creativity and imagination, showing a variety of unique designs and producing a spectacular display of trees.”
The Great Art Hunt is taking place across Patchway and Bradley Stoke from Monday 7th July to Sunday 13th July. To follow the trail fully, children and their families will be able to collect a log book from any of the participating schools or Patchway and Bradley Stoke libraries.
Once on the trail, local people will discover and explore art created by children in their schools and also visit local community centres, libraries, schools and businesses that will be hosting art work. Businesses include Asda and Waterstones in Cribbs Causeway, Ocean estate agents and Giant in Bradley Stoke, Starbucks at Aztec West and Patchway Autoparts.
The Brandon Trust, a Bristol-based UK charity working throughout the South West of England and in London, supporting approximately 1,200 people with learning disabilities and autism, is also supporting The Great Art Hunt.
The charity is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and two of their locations, Elm Tree Farm in Stapleton and Fired Up in Pucklechurch, have kindly decorated their own trees as part of the Great Art Hunt. For more information about The Brandon Trust, contact Clair Thompson or Emma Lester on 0117 906 2920.
Photo: Yarn-bombed shopping trolley at Patchway Community College.
