St Mary’s win ‘Make Art Not Waste’ schools competition

Hannah Neely from St Mary’s Grammar School, designed the winning item, ‘The Beauty above the City’. Hannah described her theme as ‘”the beauty of the garden in contrast to the underbelly of city life.”

She continued, “To make my shoe I used a recycled shoe sole, recycled newspaper and recycled glass. I then used paint to make my theme come to life. On one side of my shoe I have a river of clear blue water and on the other side I have a river of dirty sewage, showing the contrast between the two. I also used green grass on one side and graffiti on the other.”

Hannah won a trip to world-renowned Eden Project in Cornwall and her winning unique piece of art; ‘the beauty above the city’ will be forwarded to the regional final where she is in with a chance of winning an ipad. Because of Hannah’s winning artwork the school received a cheque to the value of £500.

She will also be automatically entered into the Sustainable Ireland Awards 2012 – Most Inspiring Environmental Project by a Young Person, which will be held in September 2012.

Brett Ross, Managing Director of RiverRidge Recycling, based in Ringsend, said, “As a Materials Recovery Facility we believe it important to engage with the community and convey our environmental values to a multi-generational audience.

“We asked students to bring to life recyclable products and create something which will tell its own environmental message. I’ve been astounded at some of the works of art that the schoolchildren have made. They have really thought about the message and brought to life their interpretation of waste, recycling and the environment we live in.”

The Department of the Environment’s Rethink Waste NI programme supports the competition.

The judges for the Magherafelt Council area competition were Brett Ross, Managing Director of RiverRidge Recycling. Mrs Patricia Perry, owner of Gloonan Gallery, John Murtagh, Recycling Officer, Magherafelt District Council and Lily Walllace,Creative Peace Mural Society.

For further information please contact Jackie Logan at Naked PR on [email protected] or call 07730 065 005.