PUPILS at Lyngford Park Primary School, Taunton, are keeping their fingers crossed after being shortlisted in a competition to win a £5,000 playground makeover.

They collected and transformed 6,500 plastic bottle tops into stunning art sculptures as part of a nationwide recycling campaign to raise awareness about the dangerous impact of plastic waste on the environment.

The school is now in the final in the Message in a Bottle Top art competition with its incredible life-sized octopus, angler fish and peacock sculptures.

The artwork is going on tour of the local area, taking in Priorswood Library and Taunton Town Football Club’s ground. The peacock sculpture, inspired by the club’s nickname, will be displayed at the Wordsworth Drive ground permanently.

Lyngford Park will now enter an online exhibition alongside the other nine finalists, where friends and family can support and comment on their favourite submissions before the winning school and two runners up are announced on Monday (July 18).

The winning school will receive a playground makeover worth and the runners up will be presented with tablets worth over £100.

Nicole Stearn, art lead and teacher at Lyngford Park said: “The children have been creative throughout, coming up with initial design ideas, collecting and sorting bottle tops and constructing the sculptures using other recycled waste materials.

"I am absolutely thrilled with the end result and the impact the colourful animals have in Lyngford Park’s reception area.

"Alongside promoting a vital environmental message, the project has supported student well-being, self-esteem and team building skills.

"They are immensely proud of what they have achieved and have a new confidence and a love for learning creatively.”

The Message in a Bottle Top campaign is led by sustainable composite decking brand Composite Prime in collaboration with the National Schools Partnership and involved 1,239 schools from across the UK

Composite Prime director, Charles Taylor said: “We’re absolutely delighted with the level of interest in our Message in a Bottle campaign.

"The standard of entries has been incredible and it’s been so difficult to select a top ten.

You can vote for Lyngford Park to win by clicking HERE.