‘The Spirit of Salcombe’ - a huge artwork created by every pupil at the town’s primary school - was unveiled last week.
The large collage, created by all 77 pupils at the school, takes pride of place behind the staircase in the school’s hallway.
The bright, textural project captures the essence of Salcombe, looking across the estuary from East Portlemouth. The piece details the town in all its glory, with many familiar buildings and boats, including the church and the Salcombe Lifeboat.
The children all made self-portraits of themselves, and all 77 of them are featured on the beach in the foreground.
The project was overseen by parents Hannah and Adrian Getley, who moved to Salcombe last year after leaving their jobs working as prop makers in the film industry. (They met while working on one of the Harry Potter films.)
Hannah said: “Since we moved down to Salcombe, it’s been really nice to be involved in the community and the school.
“Mrs Fern de Beer approached us and asked if we wanted to make a mural to reflect the individuality of the school’s position.
“The piece is made from shells, fabric, cardboard, as well as sea glass and other objects found on local beaches by the children.
“The children were really interested in the project, and we all agreed the piece had to reflect life in Salcombe.”
Honey Getley from Year 3 said: “I liked making all the jellyfishes because it was really fun.”
Rocco Towns from Year 2 said: “I liked that we could be very creative and that you could make it any way you like. I liked that it looked exactly like Salcombe and shows the spirit of Salcombe.”
Nina Walker from Year 2 said: “I liked making the people and the horses and the boats.”
Henry Downes from Year 1 said: “I really enjoyed being a part of it and making something that will last for a long time.”
Pearl Getley from Foundation said: “I really liked making the Salcombe houses.”
Headteacher Mrs Fern de Beer said: “We’d like to thank Jeremy Wright, who donated the wood, put the frame together and delivered it to the school.
“The piece is a really fun celebration of Salcombe. It was great to collaborate with the parents, school and community to make something to represent their life in Salcombe.
“The children all have strong links to the water, so this is reflected in the artwork. It is a really fun celebration of Salcombe.”