STAFF and students at Ridgewood High School in Wollaston have been drawing doves for a peace project which aims to raise cash for children affected by war.

Every pupil and teacher at the Park Road West school was today (Thursday October 17) poised to draw a dove as part of retired Ridgewood teacher Dorothy Claxton’s Doves for Peace project.

With support from UNICEF, Dorothy started collecting drawings of doves a few a years ago when she retired from full-time teaching - to “raise awareness of the plight of the millions of innocent children caught up in conflicts around the world”.

The project has caught the eye of many high-profile names including Stephen Fry, David Bowie, Joanna Lumley, Bryan Ferry, Terry Waite, Andy Murray, Sir Bob Geldof, Robert Plant, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Stourbridge’s MP Margot James who have all drawn doves - which will be auctioned off at a London gallery.

Conservative MP Margot praised the project, in aid of UNICEF, as a “fantastically creative way to raise awareness and money for children who are the victims of war”.

She added: “I was more than happy to lend my support to Dorothy’s initiative by drawing my own dove at Ridgewood.

“I will be encouraging other MPs in parliament to lend their support.”

Doves for Peace founder Dorothy, a former art teacher, is also inviting other celebrities not yet signed up to the project to take part.

She said: “I need lots of spontaneous sketches of doves from high profile people, many of whom may not be artists.

“The drawings do not have to be polished works of art, it’s the taking part that counts.”

People can follow the project and see some of the dove drawings on twitter @Doves_for_Peace