PRIMARY school parents from Barry have been hard at work discovering their creative sides by writing and publishing their own books.

Two groups of parents from Oakfield and Jenner Park Primary Schools have been part of a pilot project, run by Putting Families First, to write and publish their own books for children.

Over a number of weeks parents worked alongside a storyteller, an illustrator, and a graphic designer, and took part in creative writing workshops and painting and drawing sessions to help bring their ideas to life.

The Vulture and the Lion, written by parents at Jenner Park Primary, is about a vulture who, unhappy with being a vulture, tries her hand at becoming a lion, exploring ideas of self-image and identity along the way.

My Monster and Me, written by parents at Oakfield, is about a monster who is bullied for having an imaginary friend, exploring the themes of bullying, loneliness, and friendship.

To celebrate their achievements, a Raising Aspirations event has been organised at the Memo Arts Centre in Barry, where the books will be officially launched.

The event takes place on Wednesday, July 8 from 6pm to 8pm, and will also showcase the work of the Putting Families First project with films being shown of parents who have engaged with the project and made personal achievements.

Putting Families First is a jointly resourced scheme funded by the Welsh Government programmes Families First and Communities First.

The scheme runs in 17 primary schools across the Vale, as well as in the local community.