SELF-PORTRAITS created by youngsters at a Dorchester school are on show at Dorset County Hospital.

The creative efforts of pupils from Damers First School have been on show at the hospital and were made as part of the national Face Britain project.

The scheme aims to get young people from across the country to submit self-portraits in a bid to create a world record-breaking online portrait gallery.

Among the youngsters from Damers to have their work on show at Dorset County Hospital was Isobel Ford, who visited the exhibition with her parents to see her portrait.

Arts administrator at the hospital Jackie Henville said: “The children’s self-portraits are really good and very original.

“They are a far cry from the very traditional things we did when I was at school.

“There are lots more portraits on <&bh"http://www.facebritain.org.uk">facebritain.org.uk<&eh>.”

The portraits were made to look the business with special frames made by Gary Knowlden from GK Mouldings Ltd at Higher Bockhampton.

He said: “I thought that it was a great idea to have the children’s self-portraits exhibited in the hospital and decided to help.

“We used an old frame to make a mould and then cast them in fibreglass.”

Jackie added: “Gary’s frames are perfect for the self-portraits and we are grateful to him for his generous support.

“Mike Chapman, who made the hospital’s sculpture of Agnes the carthorse, very kindly painted them for us so our thanks go to him as well.”

The portrait exhibition took pride of place as the hospital celebrated the Jubilee with a Mad Hatters’ Tea Party.

Jackie said: “The Jubilee party was an extremely wet day but we had about 80 people coming throughout the period and everybody loved it and they enjoyed the exhibition as well.”

She added that the portraits, which will be on show until Wednesday, June 20, had also been well received generally in the hospital and it was good to see the children coming in to see their handiwork on display.