A PRIMARY school has put a £9,700 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to good use by creating a colourful mosaic to honour those who lost their lives in the First World War.

Great Wakering Primary School is using the cash to support a range of activities, including an exhibition and the new mosaic to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the Great War.

The Great Wakering First World War Community Project will explore the role of the community both then and now.

Pupils are investigating their local links with the First World War, discovering more about the young men whose names appear on Great Wakering’s war memorial and the effect the war had on the community.

The children are visiting St Nicholas’ Church, the war memorial and heritage centre to carry out interviews with local residents.

Every pupil in the school will work with Leigh artist Paul Siggins and his team to handcraft the commemorative mosaic.

Headteacher Haley O’Dea, said “We were thrilled to receive this funding for such an exciting project. The children enthusiastically researched and created artwork to go into the mosaic.

This is a fantastic opportunity for them to understand more about local history and how this area was affected during the First World War.”

Mr Siggins said “From our first discussions I’ve enjoyed every moment – from compiling our proposal to developing the design with the children. We’re creating this commemorative artwork with every child in the school – a mosaic which captures the spirit of their local community.”

A celebratory event will be held on October 20 when the community of Great Wakering will be invited to visit the exhibition of photos and memorabilia of local history during the war.

They will also be able to see t h e f i n a l work created by their students; a tribute designed to reflect the importance and significance of the community and events during that period.

Robyn Llewellyn, head of Heritage Lottery Fund East of England, said: “We have already invested more than £15million in projects marking this centenary.

Projects like this are enabling even more communities like those involved in Great Wakering to explore the continuing legacy of the conflict.