Thursday 15 March 2018

Engaging the youngsters

At the WRG show in Lancing last week there was a scenic modelling demonstration by (I think) Roy Hickman, on display was a superb diorama.

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As well as that, and demonstrating, he was encouraging people to have a go - including kids. We've come across his stand before and my son has made a (rather good) tree at a previous show. However on Saturday he said he'd been asked if he wanted to make a pond, so off he went. After some considerable time he came back with this...

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Not just a pond, or a tree, but a whole garden! My son was (rightly) very proud, and told me that the pond is made from three layers of glass. The bottom is black (I guess that may be plastic), the next brown, then clear at the top. In between is pond weed and goldfish (scrapings of orange wire insulation). The path is egg-shell - painted, then broken and stuck down, then crushed to the crazy paving effect, with scatter to fill the gaps. These are clever tips that I'd never have thought of.

What's more, when my son had finished there were a couple more kids busy building similar gardens. So not only has Roy got a real talent and great ideas for scenic modelling, but to have the patience and enthusiasm to teach kids - and get them interested, engaged, and doing relatively complex tasks - that's something else altogether. He didn't even charge a penny. What a great ambassador for the hobby.

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