AN IDYLLIC countryside location was the venue for Brighstone Primary School’s Harvest Festival celebrations.

In a field close to St Mary’s Church in Brighstone, overlooking a stream and rolling downland, the children’s harvest festival performances were watched by nearby sheep as well as family and friends who were able to join in a whole school event for the first time since the Covid pandemic began.

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Led by Reverend Jackie Maw, the special outdoor service celebrated the harvest through dance, song and readings performed by all of the school’s classes from Reception through to Year 6.

Isle of Wight County Press:

Pupils doing the corn dolly presentation at the harvest festival.

Performances included a Harvest Hoedown dance, presentation about corn dollies, a signed retelling of The Enormous Turnip, a harvest song to the tune of George Ezra’s ‘Shotgun’ and another called ‘What the harvest brings’.

The service also included harvest hymns and songs accompanied by Rev. Maw on her guitar and a reading by Andy Dorning from South Wight Area Youth (SWAY).

The children also presented items they had collected for the local foodbank, which linked to their current Collective Worship theme of thankfulness and being grateful for what we have and sharing with others.

Rev. Maw said: “Harvest celebrations are always a delight and I was particularly glad to be able to celebrate harvest with the children on a local farm on a beautiful sunny day.

"The children sang harvest songs and led prayers of thankfulness and concern for people in need.

“it’s so important to help our children make the connections between the food we eat and the land we farm, so I am particularly grateful to John and Lyn Wannop for giving us the use of their land for this year’s harvest celebration.”

Headteacher Rebecca Lennon said: “It was so wonderful to be able to celebrate our Harvest Festival outdoors among nature in the beautiful countryside surrounding our village.

"The children’s performances were fantastic; they showed confidence and enthusiasm and perfectly represented the school’s values of love, courage and respect.

"It felt very special to be able to invite parents, grandparents and members of the local community to join together with the whole school; it is something we have missed very much.

"We are very grateful to the Wannop family for allowing us to use their land for our celebrations; we are very lucky to have such a close and supportive community in Brighstone.”