Schoolkids enjoy a successful Gala Day

Rossie Stone, the creator Dekko Comics, put budding young comic book designers through their paces in a first for the Borders Book Festival’s Schools Gala Day last Tuesday, September 20.
By Kevin Janiak
Published 26th Sep 2022, 13:05 BST
Updated 26th Sep 2022, 13:05 BST
Author Jonathan Meres takes to the stage.Author Jonathan Meres takes to the stage.
Author Jonathan Meres takes to the stage.

Under the watchful eye of Rossie, who delivered a special workshop turning schoolwork into comics at the Volunteer Hall, Galashiels, 450 pupils aged nine to 11 from a number of Borders primaries designed their own comic creations on their iPads, which they use as part of Scottish Borders Council’s Inspire Learning digital education programme.

Other storytellers who brought their characters to life to more than 1,400 nursery and primary pupils included One Button Benny’s Alan Windram, Tọlá Okogwu with Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun and Jonathan Meres with Scaredy Bat.

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Sessions at MacArts were livestreamed for the first time, as part of the ongoing partnership between IT and business consulting services firm CGI, the council’s ICT partner, and Borders Book Festival.

Pupils take part in the Dekko Comics Workshops in the Volunteer Hall. Photo: Stewart Attwood.Pupils take part in the Dekko Comics Workshops in the Volunteer Hall. Photo: Stewart Attwood.
Pupils take part in the Dekko Comics Workshops in the Volunteer Hall. Photo: Stewart Attwood.

The Schools Gala Day, one of the single biggest annual events for schools held in the South of Scotland, reflects the Borders Book Festival’s ongoing commitment to literature, creativity and participation within the wider local community. Volunteers from both CGI and Inspire Learning joined the festival team to help ensure the smooth running of the event.

Related topics:BordersGalashiels