A factory overflowing with creativity, this Bookbench is inspired by Salford’s industrial past and its huge range of creative groups and individuals. Underneath flows the River Irwell, the backbone to the city.

Literally Magic takes its inspiration from the magic of six children’s books that are part of a summer exhibition at The Lowry. These were combined with the school’s values, community and the spirit of Salford’s young people.

The Raven takes its inspiration from supernatural themes of classic children’s books such as Skellig by David Almond and Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Poems were another source of inspiration for the pupils, from the classic Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven to their own poems, one comparing people to stars “like diamonds in the night sky”.

The Sunrise BookBench is inspired by the hope and possibilities each new day brings. It also shines a light on the positive impacts that nature can have on our wellbeing.

When asked what books meant to them, the children said they were a “vehicle to visit faraway places” and an opportunity to “lose yourself in a world of wonders”. This BookBench portrays the imaginary worlds we dream about when getting stuck into a good book.

This BookBench is named after the school’s motto. Children from each year responded to the slogan ‘reading can take you anywhere’ and the final design references artwork created by the pupils during their creative design workshop.

Take a Leaf Out of our Book is inspired by the pupils’ advocacy for wildlife conservation and how their school’s core values can be found through the joy of reading. It is a celebration of the gardening skills, they learned at RHS Bridgewater, as well as Salford, a place they’re proud to call home.

Pupils from two classes decided on referencing one of their favourite books, The Boy who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd. They had the opportunity to draw their own dragons and fruit and wanted the design to be bright, colourful and busy. As such, a myriad of their illustrations can be found on the BookBench.

Frozen Kingdom takes its inspiration from the class's recent studies of life in the Arctic and Antarctic, exploring the natural world, as well as its history. Of the numerous books they read during their learning, one favourite followed the story of two penguins who adopted an egg in New York Zoo.

The pupils had been studying Shakespeare's Macbeth in preparation for a special performance at the Lowry. Witches’ amulets, that they made as part of their studies, are included in the design as well as their depictions of the atmospheric landscapes in the play.

This BookBench’s name is the quote decided upon by the class as their design inspiration. The children talked about how reading opens up unlimited possibilities for feeding the imagination. They produced creative drawings and all ten pupils involved have contributions included on the BookBench.

The design was inspired by The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup which looks at reminiscence, friendship and the passage of time. 150 pupils worked with Lauren Mullarkey to create glass insects that might live in the orchard at Ordsall Hall, and ghosts, as it is rumoured that the hall is haunted. These are carefully worked into a mosaic on the back of the BookBench that also references Primrose Hill. All pupils at the school, and their parents, were invited to reflect on their memories of Ordsall via drawings, descriptions and poetry. These have been integrated into their own memory oak tree by the school’s artists in residence, Marie Cash.

During the children's workshop, space and diversity came up as prominent themes. This BookBench shows off a space party, created with their drawings of aliens, planets, and space characters.