A south Essex primary school officially celebrated it's 100 year anniversary with the unveiling of a beautiful wildlife mural.
The artwork was revealed as part of South Benfleet Primary School’s centenary celebrations.
Located in the infant playground, the mural was formally unveiled on Thursday, July 9, during a parents' evening attended by MP Rebecca Harris and Buglife’s Katie Hargreaves.
The mural features a vibrant display of wildlife native to the area and is intended to inspire pupils through a connection with the natural world.
Jane Barber, deputy headteacher, said: "We are absolutely delighted with our new mural celebrating the school’s 100th birthday.
"In the initial planning stages when a wildlife theme was suggested to link in with Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, Becky was keen to showcase the abundance of wildlife we have within our local area.
"We agreed this was a brilliant idea as it matched our curriculum which very much focuses on our local area before branching into the wider world.
"The children have loved watching the mural grow and evolve over the months and weeks as well as chatting with Becky about the animals and birds she was painting.
"We are so grateful to Becky, Andrea and Eleanor for their vision, time and talents. They have created something very beautiful and very special to take the school into it’s next century."
The mural was designed and painted by Becky Tyler, a former parent, volunteer, and governor at the school, with help from her friend Andrea Hassan and former pupil Elena Rainbow, now a Nottingham undergraduate student.
Becky said: "Kami Sandhu, aged 2, helped Dame Rebecca Harris cut the ribbon. Kami is a young environmentalist, wearing his Wildlife Trust T-shirt.
"He contributed to the mural, as many people did, by getting a photo of a caterpillar from his garden sent to me.
"His mum Nikki helped him and is proud that he is developing an interest in nature. I loved planning, designing and painting the mural.
"Having my friend Andrea help was a godsend. We both found the experience better than any therapy, it was so uplifting.
"Having Eleanor on board at the end was great and she shared her talent by adding all of the dragon flies, many butterflies and a couple of gorgeous shrews.
"I’d like to thank the many photographers who helped and were so supportive, especially Aaron Coot."
The mural was created with help from community members and photographers, who provided imagery and inspiration for the final design.
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