School near Lancaster beats hundreds of others across the UK to win special King's Coronation honour

Milnthorpe Primary will have their own royal-themed bench created and displayed at the Tower of London as one of just 15 winners selected by a panel of judges.

Taking inspiration from teaching resources developed by Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) – the charity that cares for the Tower of London – Milnthorpe pupils designed their own colourful Coronation benches around the theme of values for a new era.

Children and young people from across the UK were invited to think about their hopes for the future, alongside the symbolism of the upcoming Coronation, and to create their own bench designs as a visual representation of these ideas.

Pupils at Milnthorpe who worked on the successful design will have the chance to work with global public art producers, Wild in Art, to refine their illustrations before their bench is brought to life and installed at the Tower of London during the Coronation celebrations.

The students have been invited on a VIP class trip to the Tower of London as a reward for their efforts where they will see the Crown Jewels, take part in themed activities and have the opportunity to see their bench in situ.

Year 1 and Year 4 produced designs for the competition with the Year 4 entry making the chosen 15. All the children in the class produced their own ideas and every child has had elements of their ideas incorporated into the design.

After the Coronation, the bench will be displayed with pride in the school foyer as a permanent reminder of the children’s achievement and the school’s part in the historic events.

Ceri Fox, Senior Learning Producer at Historic Royal Palaces, said: “It was fantastic to have such an overwhelming response from schools to our national competition, and to see so many thoughtful and imaginative designs.

"Selecting just 15 winners from so many great submissions was tough, and we are looking forward to welcoming the students and their benches to the Tower of London this summer.”