Penarth Pier full of Christmas cheer!
Thanks to some
creativity, a load of rubbish and the enthusiastic involvement of
local people, Penarth Pier has again been decorated with a
difference, much to the delight of project organisers at The Vale
of Glamorgan Council.
The unusual project is now in its fourth year, and this
Christmas marks a pilot initiative to involve some of the very
youngest schoolchildren in Penarth for the first time.
For the 'Christmas Cheer for the Pier' project, local groups use
their artistic flare and creativity to make decorations with a
difference for the local landmark, as the eye-catching baubles and
garlands are all made from things destined for the bin!
Previous years have seen decorations made by local
schoolchildren from the Albert, St Joseph's and Ysgol Gymraeg Pen y
Garth primary schools, clients from the charity Scope, and the
Penarth Youth Project. These have been used again this Christmas,
together with new decorations made at Cogan Nursery School.
Arts development and waste awareness officers at the Vale of
Glamorgan Council came up with the idea for the initiative which
aims to encourage creativity in all sections of the local community
and raise awareness of how everyday materials can be reused.
Tracey Harding, the council's arts development officer, said:
"The response to this project has been fantastic. We have had super
feedback from the public who have enjoyed seeing the artwork. All
of the groups involved have had a lot of fun and have learned about
the opportunities that can be created with imaginative artistic
ideas."
Under the project, pop bottles, plastic containers and cardboard
tubes have been transformed into fabulous Christmas garlands,
baubles and bells, and because plastic is the main material used
they are more tolerant of the weather. The pupils at Cogan Nursery
School practised their threading and weaving skills to produce
Father Christmas, Christmas tree and angel mobiles. The success of
their decorations has inspired the project organisers to aim to
involve all Penarth nursery schools in the project next year.
Sam Harrison, the council's waste awareness officer, said: "Here
we are using a fun project in an eye catching location to promote a
serious message – that we throw too much away. This is one of the
more unusual ways we promote our 'What's in your bin?' project that
aims to get us all thinking about reducing, or as with this
project, reusing, and recycling. "
The unsung heroes of the project must be Peter Andrews and Terry
Buckingham, the pier management staff, who brave the elements every
year to put the decorations up, and try to make sure they stay
up!
For further information on waste minimisation, recycling and
home composting in the Vale of Glamorgan, please contact the
council's visible services department on 02920 673000, or e-mail
visible@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk.
Captions: Pupils from Cogan Nursery School with
the creative decorations they have made for Penarth Pier this
Christmas.