Schools across Cumbria were decked out in red, white and blue as children, staff and communities celebrated the coronation of King Charles III.
From tea parties with local residents to commemorative photos and time capsules, schools within Cumbria Education Trust (CET) enjoyed some right royal celebrations.
Many also organised events as part of The Big Help Out volunteering initiative with litter picks and tree planting sessions.
At Caldew Lea Primary in Carlisle, the school provided a picnic lunch for all which followed a morning of coronation activities and crafts in classes. In the afternoon, there was a professional children's entertainer, party games and celebrations on the school yard. Many pupils went to school dressed in red, white and blue or as kings and queens.
There was also a coronation disco and residents from the local care home were invited to the Friday picnic and celebration afternoon.
At William Howard School in Brampton, Town Crier Brian Pease welcomed students and staff onto the school astroturf pitch for a ceremony where the Head Girl and Boy did a reading and then the choir sang God Save the King.
A drone photo was taken of all staff and students present in the shape of the initials CR. There was a coronation-themed lunch for all students.
More than 70 guests from the local community enjoyed an afternoon tea made and served by Year 7 students. The Town Crier again started the proceedings, followed by a reading and the choir singing.
At The Whitehaven Academy, Year 7 pupils were invited to take part in the #CoronationGeneration challenge. Young people from across the UK took part in a series of inspiring workshops, organised by Ideas Foundation, harnessing their creativity to design posters in honour of the coronation.
The resulting posters used photography, copywriting, typography, and graphic design to reflect one or more of the key themes: community, diversity, sustainability, and youth.
Two of the academy’s posters were selected to be displayed across digital poster sites nationwide.
And Workington Academy produced 100 commemorative coronation afternoon tea boxes. Key Stage 3 students worked with the Design & Technology department to create coasters, key rings, pop up cards, as well as a range of British-themed cakes, biscuits and scones. These special tea boxes were delivered to elderly care service users within the local community.
This week, members of the school’s Eco Committee are leading a community litter pick in nearby Hall Park with students in Year 7 and 8.
Other schools buried time capsules, encouraged pupils and staff to dress up, displayed art and history work on coronations and took part in special themed lessons linked to British values.
Nic Tweddle, CET Assistant Headteacher and Student Events Lead across the trust’s 13 schools, said: “We have had a fantastic array of events to create celebrations that the children will remember.
“Times like these are important occasions for communities to be able to come together so we were also delighted to be able to celebrate with our wider communities at the same time.”
There’s a full round up of activities on the CET website.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here