Glasgow schools asked to design city's first animal mascot

Celebrated Scottish artist Gerard M Burns and council chief executive Annemarie O’Donnell will help to judge the contest, which forms part of a civic pride campaign by Glasgow City Council.

It also includes the launch of a new citizenship award, The Glasgow Clyde Challenge, which aims to celebrate young people and school achievement.

The Lord Provost with some of the thousands of P7 pupils who took part (Image: Glasgow City Council)

Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren recently invited all of the city’s 6000 P7 pupils to the City Chambers on George Square to explain what she does in her roles as Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant.

She said: “We all know that the people of Glasgow are the best in the world and that includes our young people, their friends and families. That’s why I was excited to invite them here and let them know, when they grow up, they’ll be in charge, responsible for looking after the city and making it the best place it can be.”

Children from Oakwood Primary with the Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren (Image: Glasgow City Council)

She added: “Our young people can demonstrate their responsibility right away by taking civic pride in the city and choosing not to drop litter, by being good and kind to others and generally being proud Glaswegians.”

A centrepiece of the Lord Provost’s series of school presentations is a screening of the film Gallus Glasgow, and an animated tour of the City Chambers featuring a voice-over by one of the city’s civic officers (fondly referred to as “Greencoats” because of the special blazers they wear.)

Pupils from Golfhill Primary enjoyed learning about the city's history (Image: Glasgow City Council)

Both films were created by Glasgow City Heritage Trust (GCHT) with the help of young people from St Mungo’s Primary as part of the Gallus Glasgow resource which can be found on the Trust’s website.

GCHT Heritage Manager Rachel Kacir said: “It was great fun creating our child-centred digital City Chambers tour. We’ve animated key rooms like the Banqueting Hall and Council Chambers along with other areas not generally open to the public including the Lord Provost’s Office and the Portrait Gallery, giving an insight into the architecture, design and social history of the Chambers and the Victorian skills and materials involved in its construction.”   

To view the City Chambers film, visit https://ourcitychambers.glasgowheritage.org.uk