Young people encouraged to be imaginative

Two pupils from each of the town's primary schools were invited to take part in the exhibition's first, three-day, stage at the De La Warr Pavilion.

Rother chairman Cllr Joanne Gadd, accompanied by her husband and consort Cllr Brian Gadd, welcomed the youngsters to the pavilion last Friday morning.

Together with architect Simon Barker, the youngsters looked at existing seafront shelters and seats along West Parade and drew them before returning to the pavilion where, after refreshments, they began to sketch their own ideas for replacement shelters.

The final phase of the process saw the pupils making cardboard models of their designs.

The scene on the pavilion's sun-lit top floor landing was one of industry as the youngsters concentrated on their work.

Simon Barker said: "They have got a lot more work to do yet...

"They have had a lot of good ideas and we have walked along the seafront with them and inspected the existing shelters and seen what is good about them and what is not so good; what works and what could be made better.

"We have just talked about what a shelter does and the reason for it being there and thought about what the practical constraints are as well.

"But at the same time we want them to be imaginative and not to be constrained.

"This is what the exhibition is about. It is at an early stage. The point about it is to get people talking about it and being involved in how it turns out.

"It is just at the starting point really.

"The point of the whole project as I understand it is about making the seafront work better and be a more pleasant place.

"We asked the children to start off by drawing the existing shelters because we not saying that the existing ones are bad. Anything is possible. It may be a nice idea just to paint them bright colours and keep them."

Meanwhile, down in the pavilion's new Studio, Rother cabinet members and officers were busy answering questions as the public studied the exhibition display.

The rush had started the previous day when more than 60 people attended an evening session and continued unabated.

Because of a break-down in Communication, Sidley Community Primary School did not receive the invitation to the exhibition.

The Next Wave exhibition continues at Rother Community Help Point in Amherst Road until the end of the month.