An artist who is involved in refurbishing an area of Keighley has run a series of school workshops to include children in the scheme.

Highfield Single Regeneration Budget, which is revitalising the area with more than £4 million, has employed Joanna Kessel to refurbish more than 40 raised tree planters in the area.

Joanna, who has been taken on thanks to a £27,000 grant from the National Lottery, will be making sandblasted flags and water permeable tree surfaces for the area.

The designs for the work will be inspired by trees in Devonshire Park, with the aim to bring the park into the street. And Joanna has been running a series of workshops at three schools to demonstrate the process to children.

Joanna said: "I am introducing the children to the same work which will be done in the area so they can understand the processes involved.

"The idea is that the children make their own designs because they affect every area in their lives and so they will also understand the work that will occur in the community."

The series of workshops has included observational drawing and print making. The children were urged to use different designs and co-ordinate different colours to get different results. Part of the children's project was to reflect Joanna's work by basing their work on their natural environment.

Joanna added: "Part of the process is for them to make critical appraisal so they can articulate what they think."

Margi Parbus, art teacher at Greenhead, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be involved in this programme. A lot of our pupils live in the area so it is nice for them to be involved in the process.

"They have had very little opportunity to learn how to print and they have been picking natural shapes and drawing them. They have carried it through and have shown real enthusiasm throughout the project."

The workshops have also been carried out at St Anne's and St Andrew's primary schools.

Artist Joana Kessel shows year eight students Ashley Westfall, Sarah Northrop and Tanvir Farooq, all 13, some of the finer points of printing at an arts workshop