Youngsters bring woolly athletes to life in classroom

Creative children had been slaving for months with yarn, needles and thimbles to knit their own miniature versions of past and present Olympians, which were put on display, at the Georgian Gardens Primary School, this month.

Dozens of pupils had worked with their parents and members of staff at the school, in Guildford Road, since April to create the woollen sporting stars.

More than 40 designs went on display inside the hall and reception area, many of which left visitors to the primary “stunned”, claimed business manager Karen Wallace.

“We’ve had a tremendous turnout for this project. Some of the designs are really impressive.

“We’ve had Princess Anne on horseback, sprinters and even a mini Olympic stadium created. A lot of hard work and thought has gone into all the models.

“I think everyone was stunned by the range of entries we have had,” she said.

Mrs Wallace explained that the project had been part of the school’s summer curriculum, which focused on this year’s London 2012 Olympic Games.

She added that all the pupils had been involved in the display’s creation.

“It’s been a really fantastic event for us,” she said. “I guess it all stemmed from when we found a book where you could knit your own Olympic stars.

“It’s just sort of snowballed from there on.”

Some of the models and displays have since been taken home by the children, who broke up on Friday.

However, others will remain in the school to be used in future sporting projects.

Mrs Wallace wished to give a huge thanks to all those who had helped with the display, adding that without their efforts it wouldn’t have been nearly so successful.