Scottish Catholic Observer

Pupils from Glasgow’s Fernhill School had an extra special visitor at their recent sports day, with London’s 2012 Paralympic mascot, Mandeville, popping by to watch them compete in more than 40 events.

Mandeville’s visit to Coatbridge Sports Centre on Saturday June 11 was the school’s prize for winning a ‘make your own mascot’ competition, aimed at exploring what is unique about the pupils’ local community and implementing these findings in their mascot design.

The competition was organised by the official London Olympics 2012 education programme, Get Set, and saw primary five, six and seven children from Fernhill competing against each other to design a mascot for the school.

The primary seven mascot design was chosen as the overall competition winner.

Olympic efforts

Fernhill’s principal PE teacher, Cristina Cruickshanks, commented that the Get Set initiative has been ‘a fantastic way to get children excited about the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.’

“Primary seven have had a fantastic year completing the work involved for the competition and were delighted to have Mandeville join them for sports day and for the whole school to celebrate their success together,” she said.

Jacqueline Sexton, Fernhill headteacher, was also delighted with the pupils’ winning design, chosen from a number of entrants from across the country.

“It is a real tribute to the creativity and teamwork of our pupils and our inspirational staff,” Ms Sexton said. “At Fernhill, we believe that every child has gifts and talents to be nurtured, and it’s wonderful to see their success recognised in the Get Set programme.”

Fernhill mascot

Fernhill’s version of Mandeville uses a wheelchair, reflecting his status as icon of the Paralympics, and features the mascot sporting a kilt and the jersey of the local football team, Queen’s Park, who play their matches at Hampden Park, Scotland’s national football stadium, where preliminary heats for the Olympics football matches will be played in 2012.

The mascot also has a model of Rutherglen Town Hall on its head, which signifies the light on top of a London Taxi.

The innovation and artistic merit of the Fernhill pupils did not go unnoticed by Lord Sebastian Coe, chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee.

“The Get Set programme is a way schools and school children all over the UK can make the most of London 2012 and the opportunities it offers—and this initiative has proved just how successful it is,” Lord Coe said. “These young people have been able to embrace the Olympic and Paralympic values and have used them to be creative and work as a team. The results have been immensely impressive.”

The Get Set programme provides students and teachers with access to free resources including films, activity and fact sheets and competitions ahead of next year’s games.