Newcastle children celebrate city with Magpies montage

Young football fans used their artistic skills to celebrate both their team and their city when they created artwork for permanent display at the Newcastle United Foundation building.

Thirty Year 6 pupils from neighbouring Our Lady and St Anne’s Catholic Primary School were asked by Newcastle United Football Club to decorate lockers located outside the NU Foundation, with the help of design company Lines Behind.

“We were invited by the Newcastle Foundation to take part in creating a piece of artwork to cover the new InPost lockers at the Foundation building,” said Chris Wallace, PE Coordinator at the school, which is part of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust and has close links with ‘The Magpies’.

“We were the only school to take part. Our school is one of the closest to the Foundation building, and we have NUFC in school every Wednesday for PE lessons and after-school clubs.”

The project was overseen by Lines Behind founder James Dixon, who visited the school to guide the artistic process.

“The children were asked to draw things under the title ‘What Newcastle Means to Me’,” continued Mr Wallace.

“This involved an artist working with children on an afternoon to create pieces of artwork about Newcastle, and he then took these and created a final piece, which was put onto the lockers.

“As part of the afternoon art lesson, there was also a filming team who recorded what the Year 6 class were doing, through to the final evening event, which will be used in InPost and Newcastle United marketing and social media channels.”

The children were guests of honour at the official unveiling of their artwork at the Newcastle United Foundation, where the colourful lockers were opened to reveal gifts for the young artists, which included scarves, hats, hoodies, and NUFC teddy bears.

“The children were excited to show the part they had created on the final lockers, and also that we had a part of our school at the Foundation which will be there for all to come and see,” added Mr Wallace.

“As a school close to the Newcastle Foundation and St James’ Park, it is important that we use these local links to give our children in school the widest experiences we possibly can.

“The school now has a permanent piece of artwork at the Foundation building which everyone sees as they come into the building.

“It has also allowed the children to think about their own local area, and why the children believe that Newcastle is such a special place to them.”