PRINTS and original paintings by north Norfolk artists Martin Sexton, Brian Lewis and Chloe Mandy are among the lots up for grabs at an auction due to be hosted by Sheringham Primary School on February 8 as part of a £2,000 appeal to raise funds for a new kiln.

PRINTS and original paintings by north Norfolk artists Martin Sexton, Brian Lewis and Chloe Mandy are among the lots up for grabs at an auction due to be hosted by Sheringham Primary School on February 8 as part of a £2,000 appeal to raise funds for a new kiln.

Also on offer is a framed photograph by Kelling gallery owner Jim Witherspoon, and work by local artists Sam Robbins, Philip Williams, Helen Herbert, Paul Darley and Peter Kavanagh.

The auction, which was the idea of year four teacher Rebecca Robinson, has been organised as part of an off-curriculum day which will see youngsters working with a team of artists to produce paintings and sculpture.

Projects range from environment-themed playground sculpture and Pop Art prints, to giant murals, which will be painted on the school's mobile music classroom.

Finished works will form part of a three-day exhibition, which kicks off at the school on February 6, with selected pieces later put on display in the window of an empty town centre shop.

“We will be selling the children's work for a minimum donation of 50p and, hopefully, they will get excited about the project as their paintings will be part of a real exhibition,” Mrs Robinson said.

“The idea was to raise the profile of art in the school, and to get people from the community to come in and see what we are doing.”

Local couple Mustapha and Sonya Fassih, who have children at the school, will be giving the appeal a boost by donating the profits of Italian and Moroccan nights they plan to hold at their Augusta Street restaurant Number 10 on January 25 and February 22.

“We are very grateful to everyone who has supported us,” Mrs Robinson said. “Especially the Stable Gallery, which has offered to frame the artwork, Barneys Newsagents, who have given us exhibition space, Mustapha and Sonya, and of course all the artists who have donated pieces of work or offered to come into school and work with the children.”

Sheringham Primary School's art exhibition runs in the school hall from February 6, with an auction kicking off at 3.30pm on February 8. For more information, phone the school reception on 01263 822348.

To book a table at the No 10 Italian or Moroccan nights, phone the restaurant on 01263 824400.