OLD net curtains, beanpoles or old CDs — they are all needed for children to create a fantastic Chinese dragon which will take part in Okehampton Arts Festival this July.
The dragon will be constructed from the junk textiles by youngsters at Okehampton Primary School under the guidance of North Tawton artist Wendy Dacre.
The head, frame and tail will decorated in the Chinese tradition, but created entirely from local waste materials.
Ana Pulteney, community animateur with WestDEN's sustainable communities project, is co-ordinating the project.
She said: 'The children will be able to parade the dragon later in the festival week at their school summer fair, and it could be used at carnival time, pageants, festivals etc, and hopefully be displayed when not in use.'
She said the dragon would be constructed by junior children from the school over two days during the arts festival.
The workshops will take place in the church hall in Market Street.
'We are not buying in any materials for this but it will be quite effective, hopefully,' she said.
Ana is setting up a collection point for materials in the Ockment Centre — items useful for dragon-building are plastic tubing, foam rubber, old net curtains and cotton or polyester sheets, Christmas tinsel, old CDs, canes or bean poles and unwanted braid, tassels and upholstery trimmings.
Ana said: 'We would be very grateful if members of the public could check their attics, cellars, sheds etc for any of these materials they might like to donate to the project and bring them along to the Ockment Centre.'
She said it would be 'extremely satisfying' to create such an eye-catching sculpture from things most people consider as waste.
'It might also give the children inspiration to carry out their own waste creations at home!' she added.
Anyone who has any dragon-making junk should hand it in to reception at the Ockment Centre from now on.