Year 7 & 9 Pupils Create a Lantern for the Snow Moon Festival

Bowland High was invited by the Cloud Spotting Festival team, to create a lantern for the Snow Moon Festival Twilight Parade. Arts Council England provided the opportunity for three rural communities within the Ribble Valley to design and make a bespoke lantern, so Bowland took up the challenge.

Sculptural creative artist Janine Walker came into school on two occasions to work with 11 students and together they produced a stunning willow and paper lantern based around a comet theme. It was a simple process of shaping the extremely bendy willow whips, securing and then covering with a couple of coats of tissue paper and glue. Once dry, all the volunteers had a go at painting the comet in warm shades of red, orange and yellow, with gold leaf details then paint on top with special paint marker pens. Coloured cellophane streamers were added, the effect was beautiful and looked amazing when lit from within.

Several of the students joined in the twilight parade and gamely carried the lantern on a long bamboo pole through Clitheroe on Saturday 8th February. The parade including a rocket, a massive bird which took three people to operate the wings, a bee and a scary looking old lady with huge hands, promenaded around the castle grounds, through the high street and came to an end in the market area. The whole event was great fun as a samba band played fabulous tunes all the way around, which got everyone dancing and in a party mood.

The lantern will be on display in school. Well done Lydia, Betty, Rosie, Emma, Monika, Milly & Megan from Year 7 and Phoebe, Eliza, Ruby & Ella from Year 9.

Mrs Cox