STUDENTS from Workington Academy and West Coast Sixth Form have taken part in this weeks Yarn Bomb as part of Mental Health Awareness week.

Two of the school's sixth form students led a group of keen artists from all years in creating a garland to be displayed in the park throughout last week and the weekend.

Holly Hunter, who is in Year 13 worked with Year 12 pupil Katie Hill to oversee the creation of the garland taking much inspiration from their current A-Level projects.

Students from Year 7 up to year 13 all made pompoms, many in their own time, to create the celebratory chain.

Holly who is looking at how public spaces are utilised in different ways by communities as part of her A-level, said : ""I am super interested in how public and private and safe spaces are utilised. Yarn bombing is usually an unofficial way of decoration, protesting or spreading good cheer. I've been happy to be part of the project and have enjoyed encouraging my peers to take part. ."

I think a bit of pompom making can brighten our day and I hope that the people that visit the park can enjoy the work."

Katie also took inspiration from her current project to create the display,she said: "I have been researching how nature links to textiles and how artists and fashion designers can often use real nature in their work or recreate its appearance and texture using fabrics and yarns. This project was a fun way to combine the two and I really enjoyed being part of it."

The project was done by the Academy as part of the Town Council's wider 'Yarn bombing' initiative displayed in Vulcans Park as part of Mental Health Awareness week.

Allison Murphy,,Head of Expressive Arts at Workington Academy said :"We love working on community arts projects here at Workington Academy.. Projects like this are important for the creative culture of our town, it was accessible to all our students, and I was overwhelmed but how many pompoms we received after just a few days."

Joining them together in a long chain was a lovely idea and shows the work as a whole. It combines the work students from year 7 right through to year 13 demonstrating Workington Academy and West Coast sixth form working as one."

You can view the display in Vulcans park until May,14.