Creative kids take part in mass flag-raising at Fleetwood Mount

Artistic kids raised a rainbow of flags they painstakingly created.
By The Newsroom
Published 31st Mar 2022, 04:55 BST
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Schoolchildren from St. Mary’s Primary School in Fleetwood joined the Mount Pavilion’s artist in residence Henry Iddon for the mass flag-raising at the historic monument.

READ: Fleetwood Mount in bygone times

The youngsters produced the flags with Henry’s help as part of a six month arts project funded by Wyre Council.

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Flag raising art project at The Mount in Fleetwood with pupils from St Mary's Primary and artist Henry Iddon. L-R are Caleb Rifai, Liana Stoney, Gracie Ward, Eden Webster and Florence Martinez.Flag raising art project at The Mount in Fleetwood with pupils from St Mary's Primary and artist Henry Iddon. L-R are Caleb Rifai, Liana Stoney, Gracie Ward, Eden Webster and Florence Martinez.
Flag raising art project at The Mount in Fleetwood with pupils from St Mary's Primary and artist Henry Iddon. L-R are Caleb Rifai, Liana Stoney, Gracie Ward, Eden Webster and Florence Martinez.

Ann Kowalska, headteacher at St. Mary’s Primary School, said: “Having a working artist in school has been a great opportunity for the children. They have learnt new photography and observational skills, taken a closer look at the wonder of our locality specifically, The Mount, and collaborated with Henry to respond creatively.

“Lockdown denied us these opportunities due to the restrictions… it is fantastic to be able to enrich the curriculum again with collaborations such as these.”

As part of the project, Henry worked with KS2 children from the school, delivering art workshops at The Mount exploring photography, the rich history and heritage of The Mount, navigation, and the plant and animal life found in the grounds. The children used the Mount lodges as a dark room to process their own images taken during the workshops.

Henry, who has produced artwork for BBC World News, Manchester United and various UK Government departments, said: “It’s been really great to work with St. Marys Primary during my residency at The Mount, seeing the way the pupils have engaged and learned about the history of Fleetwood and The Mount by using photographic techniques has been fantastic. There’s no doubt that the young people have benefited from learning through hands on creativity.”

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Flag raising art project at The Mount in Fleetwood with pupils from St Mary's Primary and artist Henry Iddon.Flag raising art project at The Mount in Fleetwood with pupils from St Mary's Primary and artist Henry Iddon.
Flag raising art project at The Mount in Fleetwood with pupils from St Mary's Primary and artist Henry Iddon.

Councillor Lynne Bowen, portfolio holder for leisure, health and community engagement at Wyre Council, said: “It is great to be able to provide these activities and offer opportunities for local schools to engage with the arts whilst discovering more about the heritage and history of The Mount.

“Henry has delivered some wonderfully informative sessions that we are sure the schoolchildren will have enjoyed immensely and learnings that will stay with them as they move forward in their education.”

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Related topics:Wyre CouncilFleetwood