THE power of drawing took centre stage when two of the region's top artists travelled to London to receive an award for the Big Draw.

Angie Mitchell and Jill Pemberton, from Kendal's Green Door Studios, travelled to the capital to pick up a prestigious Drawing Inspiration Award, in recognition of the success of their On Your Marks... an outreach project, which involved 14 artists, 13 schools, nurseries and colleges and participants from across two counties and 500 square miles in activities that expanded the boundaries of drawing and resulted in exhibitions at Kendal Library and the Alexandra Gallery at St Martin's College, Lancaster.

Organised by Jill for GDS, it was part of the nationwide The Big Draw programme, staged in October 2006, featuring 1,312 events in 1,100 venues across the UK.

GDS received a highly-commended award, which was presented to Angie and Jill at a ceremony hosted by the Campaign for Drawing at the British Museum, where they received £50 and a commemorative certificate drawn by top illustrator and campaign patron Quentin Blake.

For more words see The Westmorland Gazette Leisure section, April 20 edition.