Dacre school’s coronation bench to be displayed in Tower of London

A primary school in Nidderdale has won a national competition to design a coronation bench, which will be displayed in the Tower of London.

Historic Royal Palaces invited schools across the UK to take part in the competition to mark the coronation.

About 1,500 took part and Dacre Braithwaite Church of England Primary School has been chosen as one of 15 winners.

Children from Year 2 to Year 6 at Dacre formed a coronation art club, which met weekly. Their designs were based on what the pupils learned about the historical importance and symbolism of the coronation, as well as their own ideas on the vision and values of the monarchy.

Head teacher Jo Dobbs said:

“The children were inspired by these discussions and the coronation bench designs evolved from there with every child contributing many pieces of art during ‘thought shower’ sessions, enabling everyone to contribute ideas and pictures for each theme.

“Designs were then amalgamated, some re-drawn and shrunk down to fit the template whilst maintaining the details that the children imagined and drew.”

This bench was brought to life in collaboration with artist Jenny Leonard – a community-driven commission artist, specialising in murals and art trails.

It shows the sun’s rays beaming down over the four UK nations, highlighting the values supported by the King: championing young people; supporting the Commonwealth; environmental conservation and sustainable farming.

The bee is the school’s symbol and the children chose a crown to represent the King. The school’s values decorate the sides of the bench with bees and crowns.

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Ripon primary school receives ‘buddy bench’ to combat loneliness

A primary school in Ripon has been given a new buddy bench to mark anti-bullying week.

Moorside Primary School received the bench from the company Annington, which has been refurbishing former Ministry of Defence homes nearby.

Children who feel sad or anxious can sit on the bench as a signal to others that they need a friend to speak to.

Made with sustainable wood, the buddy bench is engraved with the following poem:

“We sit, we chat and ask each other questions. We leave as friends, with all good intentions.”

Claire Rowett, the headteacher at Moorside Primary School, said:

“It’s so important to create a safe and caring environment for children so that they are able to talk about their feelings, especially during such uncertain times.

“A shy or anxious child may struggle to ask someone else for support, which is why the buddy bench is such a vital tool in teaching the children what to do when they feel lonely.

“We are very grateful to Annington for donating the bench to us.”

The new buddy bench.

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Annington is one of the largest private owners of residential property in the UK, with over 40,000 homes across England and Wales.

Louise Saunders, sales and marketing manager at Annington, said the company strived to support local communities, adding:

“We are proud to gift the buddy bench to Moorside Primary School, and we hope that the children will be able to use it to create new friendships and feel more confident for many years to come.”

Anti-Bullying Week is organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance and takes place from November 15 to 19. This year’s theme is “one kind word.”

‘So happy’: Nidd Gorge memorial bench restored after vandalism

A Harrogate woman is keen to put on her walking boots and head to the Nidd Gorge after the council restored a memorial bench dedicated to her late husband.

Colin James died aged 55 from cancer in 2015. He was born in Manchester but moved to Harrogate to be with Sylvia and loved to go on dog walks in Nidd Gorge.

For that reason Sylvia bought the bench and was devastated earlier this year when she saw its slats had been broken.

Her family set up a fundraiser to replace the bench but Harrogate Borough Council offered to replace it for free.

Nidd Gorge Community Action, which protects the area, has now reported on its Facebook page that the bench has been restored.

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The broken bench, pictured in May.

The £540 raised for repairs will now go to St Michael’s Hospice, the charity that cared for Colin before he died.

Sylvia James told the Stray Ferret today she was “so happy” and added:

“I found out on Father’s Day so it could not have been better timing really.

“Ever since it was vandalised I have avoided going to visit the bench, I did not want to see it like that. It would have torn me apart.

“Now that it has been restored I cannot wait to visit.”

Vandalised Nidd Gorge bench to be replaced for free

A family whose memorial bench in Nidd Gorge was vandalised on Friday has been informed by Harrogate Borough Council the bench will be replaced free of cost.

Sylvia James, who erected the bench for her late husband Colin in 2016, told the Stray Ferret she received the news from the council this morning.

She said the council had said it would replace the bench for free because the cast-iron end pieces were still intact.

Ms James set up a fundraising page to raise money to cover the cost. Although she set a target of £300, a relative then told her that the cost may be as high as £1000.

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Ms James said the bench was incredibly important to her because of the shared memories she had with her late husband:

“When Colin was really ill we would park the car on Bilton Lane and he could just about manage to walk to the bench round the corner from there and he’d sit there and get his strength back. So obviously I want it in the same place, it’s for the memory that goes with it.”

The fundraiser has raised £540 so far. Mrs James had planned to donate any excess money to Saint Michael’s Hospice, which helped care for Mr James during his illness.

Now she intends to donate the full amount to the hospice. Mrs James said of the hospice:

“They were just marvellous, they really looked after him.”

We did not receive a response from the council by the time of publication.