CHILDREN at a Poole school celebrated being included in the Daily Echo-backed Pride of Bournemouth art project by creating this zany lion.

Teaching assistant Ros Barton persuaded organisers of the colourful public art event to let Winchelsea School pupils be the first Poole school to get a slice of the action, after seeing the buzz created by rhino sculptures in Chester.

Artists and schools are currently decorating their lions, which will go on display around Bournemouth from June to August and be auctioned off in aid of the Born Free Foundation and Julia’s House.

Winchelsea’s mini model has dreadlocks from scraps of material and the youngest children’s handprints around its middle.

Ms Barton said: “The children have really enjoyed the painting, and when they see the lion out and about in Bournemouth they can tell their mums and dads how they helped out.

“We’ve been teaching them all about the situation in Africa, and the map of the world on the lion’s back shows how the planet needs to help the lions.”

So far, 10 life size fibreglass sculptures have been completed as part of the art project.

The sculptures have been named Firestar, Bunting, Kamien, Oscar, Illumilion, Lionsome Tonight, Silmarilion, Temba, Alion Insane and Santa Paws.

Another 30 are being lined up for decoration in ‘The Lion’s Den’, in Bournemouth’s Richmond Gardens shopping centre.

On Friday and Saturday, youngsters who visited the lion’s den in the centre were also able to decorate Easter eggs by using the Pride in Bournemouth stamp.