HARPER Green School showcased the creative talents of young people this Christmas.

The Farnworth school ran a Christmas card competition as part of its work to encourage pupils to develop their artistic skills.

After much deliberation between art teachers, the winning entry chosen was designed by year 8 pupil San Rana and runners-up were year 7 pupils Molly Brooks and Zara Hussain.

The winning design was made into a Christmas card which will be sent out into other schools in the area, as well as being sold in school to raise money for charities.

Assistant headteacher Dawn Russell said: "There was a great many entries for the school’s Christmas card competition, which was extremely difficult to judge, due to the high quality of the art work."

In a bid to raise the profile of the arts, the school's art gallery featured an exhibition of work by GCSE students — the best performing art and design pupils, with 74 per cent getting top results.

The exhibition was open to the public and year seven pupils took part in a multicultural creative arts day, and a large-scale mural will soon be displayed in school, promoting the many cultures represented in school through the arts.