Creative BBCET pupils team up with artist for community doodle map project

Byker was placed very firmly on the map, when budding artists from a BBCET school in the area took part in a particularly imaginative charity event.

Ninety children from St Lawrence’s Catholic Primary put their creative skills to the test, when they joined a professional artist for ‘The Big Draw’ at the Lighthouse Project.

Run by the charity of the same name, the event champions drawing and creativity as a way to bring people together, with a flagship festival taking place throughout November.

“Pupils worked alongside professional artist Dave Draws to create doodle maps of where they live,” explained Head of School Charlotte Robson.

“Dave created his piece at the front, and pupils received his support, guidance, and a lovely hot chocolate and biscuits, whilst they created their own maps.”

The freelance illustrator and mural artist is known for his large-scale ‘doodle maps’, which combine doodles with cartoon-style illustrations to create a map of a city.

Children from Years 4 to 6 at St Lawrence’s had the chance to showcase their talents at the workshops, where they were supported by Mrs Robson, along with Class 4 Teacher, Megan Wilson, Class 5 Teacher Laura Chiru, and Class 6 Teachers Peter Jeffrey and Simon Moore.

“The Big Draw hosts events across all National Trust locations, and local communities are encouraged to create their own events, with support from the charity,” continued Mrs Robson.

“This partnership really aligns with our values around bringing communities together.”

“We feel it is very important to be involved in community events,” she added.

“Most of our pupils live within the Byker Wall, or very close to it. We want them to have pride in where they live, and showcasing Byker in this way is an ideal way to do this.”