Picture Ref: 77007-9YOUNGSTERS have been getting scientific and arty at the same time.

Primary school children from across the Swindon area have helped decorate the outside of a special science van which will be touring around schools in the borough.

The van was donated to the Ridgeway School's new Creative Planet science centre as part of its science specialist status by Wroughton car firm, Pebley Beach.

And it has been livened up with colourful designs by the pupils.

They submitted designs for each side of the vehicle.

Taking first prize was Wroughton Junior School pupil 10-year-old Natasha Bond, whose design features on the back of the van showing the oxygen cycle and how plants soak up carbon dioxide and turn it into the air we breathe.

She said: "It was wonderful that they decided to choose my design. It was great to see it on the van. My parents were really impressed.

"I really like science. I want to be a vet when I leave school so I really want to do well at it."

Emily Allen, six, from Wroughton Infants School, drew a natural habitat with birds insects and trees.

Meanwhile, Asa Dickinson, nine, from Bishopstone School, drew Earth passing in front of the sun, while Jessica Heffer, 11, from Wanborough Primary School produced an eyecatching picture of science items.

Jessica Marshall, 10, from Chiseldon Primary School, drew a diagram of how science affects people in their daily lives and Jennifer Loader, 10 from Toothill School, drew a rocket blasting away from Earth while John Love, 11 from Broad Hinton Primary created an image of the inside of the human body.

Ridgeway will use the van to help out local schools by taking science equipment out to those that don't have the resources to buy all the necessary kit.

Amy Thompson, manager of the Creative Planet Centre, said: "Children learn better with hands-on teaching resources and as part of our science specialist status we promised to take science equipment to our feeder schools to help teach the course."

Jan Hall, Wroughton Infants School science co-ordinator, said: "Funding is limited for science in primary schools so this makes a big difference. It impacts on the whole curriculum."

Schools benefiting from the scheme include Wroughton Juniors, Wanborough Primary, Chiseldon Primary, and Oliver Tompkins Juniors, as well as school units at Great Western Hospital and Marlborough House.

Anthony Osborne