Blythefield Primary School

Blythefield Primary School, Belfast

The whole school immersed themselves in the design process for the Blythefield bench. They chose different flowers to represent the Commonwealth nations as well as the importance of protecting the world’s natural habitats. They also represented countries specific to the children who attend the school: the costus spectabili for Nigeria; the hibiscus for Malaysia and the waterlily for Bangladesh. The students used watercolour as a nod to King Charles’ passion for watercolour painting and they chose specific colours to symbolise different themes: purple and blue for royalty; yellow for hope and red for courage. They chose a stag, an animal the King is fond of, to represent grace and nobility and the Crown Jewels to symbolise the passing of the reign to a new British monarch.

This bench was brought to life in collaboration with artist Sinead Farry – an artist and illustrator who is inspired by the natural world around her.