NORMALLY children who drew on York's pavements would earn a reprimand. But yesterday young artists were positively encouraged to illustrate St Mary's Square.

As part of a competition organised by Jorvik and the Evening Press, York schoolchildren submitted drawings on a seafaring theme, with the winning entrants being allowed to translate their art on to the pavement.

How encouraging in this hi-tech, computer game-obsessed age to see that children can get happily carried away with simple sticks of chalk.

It makes a change from all that zapping and blasting.

Updated: 12:41 Tuesday, May 07, 2002