Annual Sandcastle Challenge event encourages creativity

Jul 3 2010 The Journal

FORGET pencils and exercise books, these children needed buckets and spades for their school trip yesterday.

More than 1,500 youngsters from primary schools across the North East made the most of the sunshine and descended on the beach in South Shields.

The children have spent the last few weeks planning their designs for this year’s Sandcastle Challenge. The annual event is run by Children North East, the region’s oldest charity, and the theme for 2010 was famous landmarks.

A class from Abbeyfields First School in Morpeth, Northumberland, made three sand sculptures. Their first was an impressive version of the Eiffel Tower, their second was an Egyptian sphinx, but for their third they had drawn from inspiration closer to home, as it was the Angel of the North.

Oakfield Junior School in Gateshead made a sphinx, while children from Knop Law Primary School in Westerhope, Newcastle, built Harry Potter’s famous school, Hogwarts. All of the children taking part had been researching their chosen subject for several weeks and received help from building, engineering and construction professionals. Companies such as James Burrell Builders’ Merchants and Purves Ash Architecture and Design have been visiting schools in their own time and advising on building techniques.

St Matthew’s Primary School in Jarrow, South Tyneside, worked alongside construction professionals from Faithful + Gould for their designs.

The class of five and six-year-olds split into three groups and created sand sculptures of the pyramids, the Disneyland Castle and the Icelandic volcano.

Pupil Sophie Lincoln, six, said: “The best part about the day was the building. It was a lot of fun.” Classmate Emily Anthony, also six, said: “It has been great to be on the beach. I think our school should do more events like this.”

Matthew Pearce, nine, of Mortimer Primary School in South Shields, said: “My favourite part was planning and designing the landmarks.”

The sand sculptures were completed in just over an hour and were judged by a panel, including building professionals and special guests, actors Denise Welch and Tim Healy, who is also the patron of Children North East.

Jon Jo MacNamara, director of the Royal Institute of British Architects, North East (RIBA) added: “The Sandcastle Challenge has once again been a mammoth task. The whole day was fun for everyone involved. But it remains important to RIBA’s mission to advance architecture and design and to help steer the youngest members of our society towards a profession in the construction industry.”