Art by Zimbabwean primary school children hung alongside pieces by Merton youngsters, raising £2,000 to buy books for a rural school in the African country. 

Bishop Gilpin Primary School in Wimbledon hosted the art show as part of its summer fair on Saturday, May 20, with hand drawn prints and colourful work on display. 

Wimbledon Times:

Robin Reynolds with his donated print, Visscher Redrawn.

The show featured an appearance from Zimbabwean-born artist Robin Reynolds, who joined headteacher Matthew Ball to judge the artwork.

He donated one of his Visscher Redrawn prints, which he signed and had framed, to be auctioned off at the end of the school fair, raising £345.

Reynolds’ Visscher Redrawn is a modern view of the London skyline, first drawn by Dutch artist Visscher in 1616 in what has become an iconic image of medieval London.

Both the originals are on display in the Guildhall Art Gallery in London until November.

Art show organiser Kate Oppenheim said: “The show went fantastically well”.

It featured 30 pieces of art from Zimbabwean schoolchildren of Mabale Primary, in Dete, northwest Zimbabwe as well as art by Bishop Gilpin’s own students.

Robin Reynolds said: “It’s fun to see how children view the world, wherever they may be.

"But at the same time it’s a shame that children everywhere don’t have the same opportunities.

"So I’m very pleased that the children and school community at Bishop Gilpin have done so much to create opportunities for the children of Mabale School in Zimbabwe. As a Zimbabwean, I’m proud and flattered to be associated with their efforts.”

The goal of the art show was to raise money for an English reading programme for rural schoolchildren called Happy Readers, which aims to increase literacy among young primary-age children living specifically in southern Africa.

Bishop Gilpin Primary reached their goal of £2,000 and are now able to supply Mabale Primary with the books they will need for the program as well as funding and supplying all the materials for an art club.

The Mabale students sent the artwork to Bishop Gilpin Primary as a thank you, since the school has been working with the Painted Dog Conservation organisation since 2009 to help the rural school.

Since 2009, Bishop Gilpin Primary School has raised roughly £19,000 to aid towards projects such as electricity being installed in the school and the accommodation of Mabale Primary teachers in a cottage close by.