ARTISTS from primary school age to talented amateurs and professionals attracted a steady flow of visitors to St Eustachius’ Church’s art exhibition in Gallery 26 at the Bedford Hotel recently.

Entrants were asked to create a picture or artwork of Tavistock Parish Church, or any part of it. Exhibits included everything from watercolour, gouache and oil, to acrylic, pencil and pastel. Among other work were monoprints, fabric and illuminated pictures and customised glass.

There were entries from several schools, including Lamerton CofE Primary, Mount Kelly Preparatory and senior schools, St Peter’s CofE, Tavistock College and Whitchurch Primary.

These were judged by a panel of well-known local artists, including Nick Collier, Ian Pethers and Ros Pierson. Prizes were awarded to Alice Tucker from Tavistock College, Rick de Wilde, Lamerton CofE, Annabelle Hess and Charlotte Tilney, Mount Kelly prep, with another 19 children receiving certificates of commendation.

Visitors were asked to vote for their favourite picture and chose Colin Hale’s oil painting of floodlit St Eustachius entitled ‘Night Light’.

The event was the first to be organised by the Friends of St Eustachius in the run-up to the church’s 700th centenary in 2018, with plans underway to help attract a wider community to the church.

Chairman of the Friends John Rea said: ‘It was a splendid exhibition and a big thank you to artists young and old, who contributed beautiful works of art.’

The Very Rev Dr Chris Hardwick said: ‘A big thank you to all the Friends who made this possible and everyone who contributed.

‘This is all part of building for the future in which we hope to engage more widely with our Christian community in the Tavistock area, where we have been for 700 years and longer.’

A proportion of the money raised from the sale of exhibits is being donated to the church’s upkeep.