CHILDREN at St Aelred’s RC Primary School in York have been brightening up their playground with the help of a generous A-level student.

Gabriella Petruso, whose mother Yvonne Petruso is Year One teacher at the school, decided to devote her summer holidays to painting the school’s football wall.

Mrs Petruso said the mural is part of a wider refurbishment of the playground, which also includes new play equipment and a revamped wildlife area. It is also trying to get funding for another playground and courtyard, she said.

Children between the ages of eight and 11 helped Gabriella paint mouths and hair on faces she had outlined to represent the crowd in a football stand.

Mrs Petruso said: “They’ve loved it. They think it’s great because it looks like a real football stand.”