This Easter weekend, St Columba's School is hosting a spring-themed Bottle Top Community Art Trail around Kilmacolm, in partnership with Kilmacolm Community Council, who have assisted in facilitating this event by providing funding, gathering community members together and supplying many boards for the work to be mounted upon.
In October 2020, St Columba's School hosted an autumnal themed scarecrow trail, providing a COVID-safe day out for families from the local area. A number of creatively crafted characters cropped up across the village and with the help of a handy map, families could find each one! As spring has started to flourish across the village, there is no better way to celebrate nature than through an eco-conscious art trail. Championing the natural countryside surrounding Kilmacolm, local community members have designed a number of artworks featuring a range of flora and fauna – all carefully composed of recycled bottle tops.
Plastic bottle top lids are notorious for being one of the more common and yet difficult plastic components for local authorities to recycle. They are often made from a different type of plastic to bottles or containers and they are also much harder to separate due to their smaller size. However, their durability makes them an ideal material for crafts and art works, especially those facing the extremes of Scottish spring weather!
At St Columba's, we like to encourage our pupils to adopt caring attitudes, not only towards others but also to their local environment. The local community bottle top trail aims to inspire us all to consider the life-cycle of commonly disposed plastics, and possibly motivate others into reimagining how household recyclables can be re-utilised!
The Bottle Top Community Art Trail is both an eco-conscious and mindful initiative. The recent winter lockdown has been challenging, and undoubtedly had a considerable impact on both physical and mental wellbeing. It is hoped that this trail will help motivate many to take a fresh spring walk, while also providing an opportunity to appreciate our rural surroundings and practise mindful thinking. Local families, businesses, clubs and societies who are creating these art works also aim to prompt others to enjoy creative endeavours as a medium for relaxation and self-expression. Perhaps the art work on display will inspire you to get creative at home?!
The Art Trail will officially open on Saturday, 3rd April 2021. A trail map will be made available before the event on both our social media and website, ready for participants to download and witness all the artworks on display. There are hopes that the trail will remain in place during the entirety of the Easter holidays. We hope you have fun! Register your interest via our online Facebook event here. You will find a previews of art works on display and more information about the event, including the download information for the trail map.