Walker pupils go dotty for Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit has had a dotty makeover, thanks to children from St Alban’s Catholic Primary in Walker, who have been taking part in this year’s Art Trail fundraiser for St Oswald’s in Newcastle.

Pupils of all ages at the school have been involved in Peter Rabbit: Tales on the Tyne, which has seen them design and decorate their own unique sculpture of Beatrix Potter’s famous character in support of the hospice.

In keeping with the literary theme, the young artists drew inspiration from a recent project based around The Dot by Peter H Reynolds, which tells the story of a child who believes she can’t draw, until she is encouraged to start with just one dot.

“We used the aspirational campaign The Dot as our inspiration for decorating Peter Rabbit,” said Headteacher Ciara Yeoman. “So every child in the school decorated a dot.

“We then used Mod Podge and put the dots onto the Peter Rabbit sculpture, so every child has got a mark on the sculpture itself.”

The Art Trail is organised by St Oswald’s in partnership with Wild in Art, The World of Peter Rabbit, and Newcastle City Council, and marks the Hospice’s 40th birthday, as well as the 160th anniversary of author-illustrator Beatrix Potter. It is the fourth to take place, with previous themes including Great North Snowdogs in 2016, Elmer’s Great North Parade in 2019, and Shaun on the Tyne in 2023.

“This is the first ever time St Alban’s is part of it, so I decided that it would be a great idea to get us involved,” continued Mrs Yeoman.

“Every child in the school has decorated part of it. It is then put on a sculpture trail around Newcastle. Posters are made and parents can go with their children to find the various sculptures.”

The event will run from 15 July to 14 September, and will see a range of different-sized Peter Rabbit sculptures appear around the city, each individually designed and decorated by artists, schools, and community groups around the area.

“We don’t know where the trail is yet, it hasn’t been shared, so we don’t know where our rabbit will be, but hopefully somewhere exciting,” added Mrs Yeoman.

“It’s really important for the children to feel part of something wider, feel part of something across the city, and it’s a great idea for parents to get involved to help their children.”