Pupils show care for nature at cathedral services

The Year 6 pupils from church schools across south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight painted two-dimensional sculptures of creatures that inhabit air, land and sea. Their creations – each of which included a prayer written by the pupil – were carefully hung from walls and balconies in the cathedral.

Children from 33 different Church of England schools then visited the cathedral for one of four Leavers’ Services held on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, where they saw their artwork displayed. Each hour-long Leavers’ Service was preceded by a morning of workshops.

And the Bishop of Portsmouth also showed his care for the natural world, bringing his labrador Bonnie to the cathedral to illustrate our commitment to preserve God’s creation.

Wynter Richardson, aged 11, from St Columba CofE Academy in Fareham, had created a dragonfly which was proudly displayed above the magnificent west doors of the cathedral. Her classmate Ariana Deeley, also 11, had painted a bird which was hanging nearby.

“It makes me feel happy that people will see my bird in the cathedral” said Ariana. "I've loved the experience of coming here to discover more about the building, and seeing the decorations hanging here. I did have to search for a while to find mine.”

The annual Leavers’ Services in the cathedral mark the departure of Year 6 pupils from their CofE primary school each July before they start at secondary school. There is a theme each year, and this year’s theme combined care for God’s creation, outdoor learning, and mental wellbeing.

On each of the four days, Year 6 pupils enjoyed morning workshops that included creating dragonflies from wire, making a prayer pyramid, discovering the cathedral’s heritage, and developing their singing voices.

After eating picnic lunches in the sunshine, the hour-long Leavers’ Service included songs, prayers led by children, a talk from the bishop, and each school being presented with a commemorative candle to be lit each time they engage in collective worship.

The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Jonathan Frost, spoke at the Tuesday and Wednesday services, introducing his dog Bonnie who also performed some tricks. It helped to remind the children about the hard work needed to care for God’s creatures. Retired Bishop Geoff Annas spoke at the Thursday and Friday services.

Orla Monteiro D'Aguiar, 11, from Steep CofE Primary School near Petersfield, said: "I really enjoyed seeing the architecture of this beautiful building. I loved doing the sculpting with wire. For the artwork, we did animals from the sky like a dove or raven, and it was great to paint them different colours."

And classmate Coen Baines, 11, also enjoyed the wire sculpting and the singing workshops. He said: "I thought the organ sounded really good. And it was fun to see the bishop's dog. I designed a bee as part of the artwork, as I really like bees. The designs hanging from the walls were really impressive."