School pupils and college students have brought art and poetry together for a new project to beautify buses.
First West of England is ready to unveil its Poetry Bus, which showcases work by poets at St Dunstan's School, in Glastonbury, and work by design students and staff from Strode College in Street.
Over the previous few weeks, year seven and eight pupils at St Dunstan's School have been working with Somerset writer Thommie Gillow to create short pieces of poetry which drew inspiration from topics including mental health and the environment.
The completed poems were then passed to students at Strode College.
A visit to Bristol Hippodrome's workshop gave the Strode College students an opportunity to work with First Bus's design company, mhd partnership.
They proceeded to illustrate the poems, using the words for inspiration.
The final designs, which represent a union of visual art and poetry, will be displayed on four double decker buses.
They could be seen by thousands of passengers every week, as they navigate Mendip services between Somerset and Bristol.
Christian Lockyer, First West of England's PR manager, said: "This has been a fantastic project to work on, and it’s been great seeing the students really sink their teeth into what was asked of them.
"We gave them free rein to inspire themselves and be inspired by the poetry, and we’ve been so impressed with the final results.
"This has been a great opportunity for young people to work with professionals in the writing and design world, and a chance for them to get some real hands-on experience and see their creations on buses in the local area.
"If you board one of our Mendip buses, keep your eyes peeled for our Poetry Buses and be prepared to immerse yourself in the words and images around you."
The project was supported by Elizabeth J Walker, Glastonbury Town Council, Inn Glastonbury Ltd, The Covenstead and The Hollow Hills.
The Mendip passenger group, Glastonbury On The Bus, also played a significant role.
One of the group's members, Phil Shepherd, said: "Glastonbury on the Bus members are delighted to see this lovely project come to fruition, helping to make bus travel cool for everyone."
Michele Thomas, Strode College's work experience coordinator, said: "We are delighted that our Strode College Art students have been included in this exciting project which has provided them, not only with the opportunity to take part in a live work brief to showcase their talents but also the chance to practice the soft skills of communication, planning and timekeeping which are so important in the workplace."
Karen Gregory, head of English, Media, Drama and Music at St Dunstan’s School, said: "The children at St Dunstan’s are both creative and keen to support our local community.
"Working on this project was an exciting way to showcase the power of poetry.
"We are proud of our involvement and look forward to seeing the impact."
The poems and artwork are set to stay on view on the four Mendip buses for at least another year.
More details about the project, along with the poetry and artwork, can be found on the First West of England website.
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