Pupils paint the town green
A local artist is helping schoolchildren throughout Hull get to grips with nature by holding a fortnight of art workshops on behalf of the Woodland Trust.
Emma Garness will be encouraging children to look a bit closer at everyday natural objects from acorns to trees and learn why it’s important to look after them. This ties in with the Woodland Trust’s work in the city – over the last year the charity has held tree planting events in school grounds and at weekends for communities to transform public playing fields, such as Stonebridge in east Hull.
As well as helping the children learn about nature, the artwork created in the workshops will be entered into the Trust’s ‘Our Green Hull’ art and photography competition. Youngsters and adults alike are encouraged to take a fresh look at their city and send in a photograph, collage or sketch which they think sums up Hull’s green spaces, whether that be a local park, tree-lined avenue or back garden. As well as prizes for the winners and the chance of featuring in a special calendar, all entrants’ work will be exhibited in the Ferens Art Gallery's Live Art Space in September. A member of the judging panel will be TV broadcaster and wildlife photographer Chris Packham. The closing date for entries is July 10th. For more details, and to enter, please visit www.treeforall.org.uk/hull
Competition judge Chris Packham says: “The Woodland Trust’s ‘Our Green Hull’ exhibition is a fantastic opportunity for photographers and a great way to highlight the important part nature plays in an urban landscape. That’s why I’m supporting the Woodland Trust’s plans to plant wildflowers and 56,000 trees in Hull with help from local communities. It’s a great example for other cities to follow. It not only helps support and increase urban wildlife it makes life better for people too!”
Before the Trust’s tree-planting scheme started this year, Hull was the least-wooded city in the UK. Planting begins again this autumn.
