This Bench celebrates the pupils of St. Lukes' love of books and nature. This a a special place where the animals come to enjoy a good book! Salford is over 60% green space, with 60 green spaces, including The Cathedral Garden. The sound-birds represent the pupils of St. Lukes who have performed at the Cathedral.

When asked what books meant to them, the children said they were a “vehicle to visit faraway places” and an opportunity to “lose yourself in a world of wonders”. This BookBench portrays the imaginary worlds we dream about when getting stuck into a good book.

During the children's workshop, space and diversity came up as prominent themes. This BookBench shows off a space party, created with their drawings of aliens, planets, and space characters.

The pupils had been studying Shakespeare's Macbeth in preparation for a special performance at the Lowry. Witches’ amulets, that they made as part of their studies, are included in the design as well as their depictions of the atmospheric landscapes in the play.

Literally Magic takes its inspiration from the magic of six children’s books that are part of a summer exhibition at The Lowry. These were combined with the school’s values, community and the spirit of Salford’s young people.

The Raven takes its inspiration from supernatural themes of classic children’s books such as Skellig by David Almond and Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Poems were another source of inspiration for the pupils, from the classic Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven to their own poems, one comparing people to stars “like diamonds in the night sky”.

This BookBench is named after the school’s motto. Children from each year responded to the slogan ‘reading can take you anywhere’ and the final design references artwork created by the pupils during their creative design workshop.

Jenny wanted to stay true to the children's original drawings and for the BookBench to be bright and colourful, full of characters and rainbows. The children wanted it to be “somewhere people can sit if they are feeling down”.

Willow Tree Primary’s pupils were lucky to be allocated the Elmer BookBench and imagined what he would do if he visited Salford for the day. They drew lots of creative designs, including Elmer being hoisted by a crane and parachuting into the city, which are included on the BookBench.

Pupils from two classes decided on referencing one of their favourite books, The Boy who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd. They had the opportunity to draw their own dragons and fruit and wanted the design to be bright, colourful and busy. As such, a myriad of their illustrations can be found on the BookBench.

The children were inspired by their love of fantastical foods and spectacular places in their favourite books, such as The Tiger who came to Tea and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Eccles Cakes were a favourite treat and although they are tasty, the pupil’s decided they weren’t colourful enough.

The children used the powers of their imagination to create five short stories about the adventures of the local Swinton wildlife. Their stories were about kindness, friendship and teamwork, qualities reflected in the pupils’ characters which have come to life on the colourful BookBench.

The school’s setting, backing onto fields and woodlands near Wardley Moss, is the main inspiration for this BookBench. The children told stories of the visiting wildlife, such as deer and buzzards. Wardley Woodland Wonders shows the creatures that come out to play throughout the day and in the night.