MORE than 50 primary school pupils will design and build their own art structure to go across the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal.

Year 5 pupils from St Teresa’s RC Primary School, Mytham Primary School and Bowness Community Primary School in Little Lever, St Saviour C of E Primary School in Ringley, and Prestolee Primary School will create the large structure with the help of freelance design engineer Mark Gilbert.

It will be officially unveiled at a family fun day to be held at Prestolee Locks, on Saturday June 15.

The fun day has been organised by the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society (MBBCS) and will include music, food, crafts, art and heritage stalls. People will also be able to take part in a number of activities, including canoeing, fishing, cycling, nature trails, water dipping, rock painting and greenwood skills.

Alice Kay, Canal and River Trust Volunteering Development Coordinator said: “It’s great to be joining in this family friendly event along the canal because it gives a chance for everyone to see and try all the great things they can do along the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal which is on their doorstep.”

On the day, there will also be banners hanging from the Meccano Bridge, created by the children, which promote positive messages about the local community.

Further down the canal, in Prestolee, volunteers have recently installed wooden steps as the latest part of a project to create a pocket park.

The MBBCS is also planning another family fun day in July to celebrate the official opening of the pocket park, behind Prestolee High School.

Kearsley councillor Julie Pattison, who has been helping to create the ‘community woodland’, said: “It wasn’t included in our original plans for the pocket park but it’s a natural walkway so we decided to make it safer for the dog walkers and just link everything together.”