Brecon High School and the Found Gallery joined forces to present a unique art exhibition ‘Imagine’ to celebrate UNESCO World Art Day on April 15. The project was designed and coordinated by local art enthusiasts Vivienne Williams and Geoff Lloyd in conjunction with teachers Karen Thomas, Catherine Huggins, Sarah Melhuish, and Jo Dover of Brecon High School who worked with pupils at the school to develop the work . Nicola Maughan of The Found Gallery agreed to showcase this work and helped to sell all the work without taking any commission. Pupils elected to donate all the monies raised to Hay Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees HBTSR as they felt this linked to the focus of the Unesco World art day aim which was to highlight the links between art, educational and cultural diversity to achieve a freer, more peaceful world.

Geoff Lloyd said: “Everyone at the school has been incredibly positive, including headteacher Rob Edwards and deputy head Lisa Buttle – and especially the students, who have made this project a reality.The students were very excited by the opportunity to show their creative work in a notable art gallery in the centre of Brecon.’

On June 29th at Brecon High School during a busy day of Welcome the Cheque was presented to Margaret Blake Chair of HBTSR. Over 40 pupils were involved in producing artworks that were sold by the Found gallery yo raise the money.

Sofiia, A refugee from Ukraine who was very involved in the project and with other Ukrainian students produced a collaborative painting spoke before the cheque was presented to explain their motivation.
]My name is Sofiia, and I’m standing here today with Kameliia, Kseniia, and Max. Together, we painted an art-piece called “Not a Memory, but a Dream”, which was recently displayed in the Found Gallery in Brecon.

Thanks to the incredible support of our art teacher, as well as Vivienne and Geoff, who first brought this idea to our school — inviting Year eight students, to create paintings for the “Imagine” exhibition in honour of the UNESCO Day — and thanks to the generosity of everyone who came to see the exhibition.
And today we are incredibly proud to be handing over the money raised through our paintings to Hay Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees: a charity that brings not only comfort, but also hope, to refugees who have lost not just their homes, but pieces of themselves.
This painting came from something very personal. Not a headline, not a number — but a feeling.
We didn’t want to show war. We wanted to show what is left after it. Or sometimes, what is missing.
Our painting shows a man carrying his daughter on his shoulders. She holds her country’s flag in her hands. But this moment never really happened. 
It’s not a memory.
It’s a dream. A dream of safety. Of love. Of a world where children are not torn from their childhood. Where their feet never touch broken ground. Where they are held high — not because they’re fleeing, but because they are loved. Because someone stayed.
We grew up with certain kinds of silence — not the scary kind, but the one you remember from childhood. The one that means someone’s in the room with you. The one that means you’re not alone.
That’s the silence this painting was born from.
Sometimes, it’s not the loudest voices that stay with us — but the quietest moments of care. A parent’s hand. A steady presence. A dream of home.
And that’s what HBTSR charity brings into real life. That sense of being held. Of being seen. Of being heard. Of being known. Of being remembered. Of being safe — even when everything else has fallen apart.
To all the families who had to choose between their past and their children’s future.
To all the parents who gave everything just to keep their children above the storm.
To all the people who stayed, and held, and carried — 
We dedicate this painting to you.

Thank you for giving this dream a voice.

Thank you for believing in hope, and in the power of staying.
At the end of her speech there was a standing ovation and many handkerchiefs were in evidence.

Margaret Blake in receiving the cheque thanked everyone involved   ‘especially all the children.Both for their creativity and for choosing to donate the money raised to HBTSR  to help provide physical and emotional support to people seeking sanctuary, and providing the means to hold welcoming days where children, staff, parents , local councillors and the local community all come together to extend the hand of friendship to all. All of this donation  will go to directly  help those in need as HBTSR is entirely run by volunteers .