Children young and old were invited to make a decorative mosaic at Lakeview School at Wixams last Wednesday.

Led by bpha’s Community Development Officer Linda Whitfield, the children were taught to design either a house number or decorative panel for the home which they then created using ‘tesserae’ (small pieces of tile).

The event was supported by Cecil Higgins Art Gallery and Bedford Museum, and representatives were on hand to help.

Linda Whitfield said: “I was thinking of ways with a fresh twist to encourage community activity and approached Cecil Higgins Art Gallery and Bedford Museum to see if they could work with me.  This event was a really good opportunity for children to make their mark on their local community while having some fun at the same time.

“I think it’s important especially with a new community like Wixams to encourage residents to get involved in activities like this and encourage a community spirit to flourish. We need residents to help build a history here which is why we were grateful for the involvement of Cecil Higgins and the Bedford Museum.

“We have now held 5 joint activities with more planned for the future, including a project   to create a Community Patch Work Banner. The idea is to get people together to learn the skills of basic stitching and quilt-making, by using different craft methods – stitching; fabric paints; collage etc and  create their own ‘patch’ based on symbols and themes from their cultural backgrounds.  The patches will then be sewn together to create a huge community banner which we hope will be displayed in the village hall.

 “I know that all the children who attended the mosaic making enjoyed themselves and we hope to hold similar events during the school holidays this year.   

“I would like to thank everyone who helped to make this event possible.”