MEET ten-year-old Phoebe Nash, the latest addition to an ever-growing team of cultural champions.

The Lanesend Primary School pupil won a competition to become the latest recruit of a programme designed to get Island children involved in the arts.

Across the Island, schools are appointing one teacher and one student to be their cultural representatives — a direct contact between their school and the wide and varied collection of institutions and practitioners that make up the Cultural Education Partnership (CEP).

Lanesend teacher Laura Mayes set the pupils a challenge to create a piece of art based on their favourite cultural monument on the Island, with a few words explaining why.

Quay Arts manager Paul Armfield had the difficult job of choosing a winner, and after much procrastination chose Phoebe’s model of the beach huts at Gurnard, which she accompanied with some words about the place’s significance to her family.

The CEP, headed up by Quay Arts, incorporates various organisations representing the arts, health, environment, education and heritage, and the first aim is to establish strong links with the Island’s schools.

Each cultural champion will receive regular updates of exciting opportunities via a monthly newsletter, as well as invites and free tickets to events that are happening across the Island.

Mr Armfield said: "We all acknowledge how stretched our teachers are and how difficult it is to make time for the arts when the curriculum is so focused on academic subjects. The aim of the CEP is to help schools and young people by providing a whole range of cultural activities and opportunities, and ensure they know about them and have access to them.

"Various schools are on-board but Lanesend has been particularly proactive. We hope others will follow suit."

To sign up, schools can email p.armfield@quayarts.org