Painting by Exeter pupil triumphs in CPRE Devon’s county-wide primary school competition

A picture by young artist Ava Perkins from Clyst Heath Nursery and Community Primary School in Exeter has won first prize in this year’s ‘My Outdoors’ competition, organised by the Devon branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

The judges were so impressed by eight-year-old Ava’s painting entitled Dartmoor that they awarded her the title of ‘individual winner’ in Key Stage 2.

There were lots of commendations too for Exeter schools Willowbrook, Ladysmith, and Wynstream. 

The competition is a fun way to encourage outdoor learning and help young children engage with and enjoy the countryside. Each child who entered won a badge featuring CPRE Devon’s new Countryside Ambassador Barney the Bull, becoming part of Barney’s team helping to promote the Devon countryside to primary school children in KS1 and KS2.

Penny Mills, Director of CPRE Devon, said, “We received entries from right across the county from girls and boys who had captured their favourite Devon landscape on paper. Pencils, paints and sticking paste were all put to use to create artworks which showed the children’s appreciation of Devon’s rich variety of natural landscapes.

“The judges had a hard task choosing between the entries. We would like to thank everyone who supported CPRE Devon by entering and say congratulations to all the winners!”

The individual prize in Key Stage 1 was awarded to five-year-old Amelie Willis Smith from Holbeton Primary School in South Devon for her delightful collage The Beach.

Bishops Nympton Primary School near South Molton in North Devon was named Best Overall School, winning £200 towards outdoor learning initiatives.