GREY pavements will be transformed with striking street art as one woman hopes to chalk up yet another successful art event this weekend.

The Big Chalk will see schoolchildren decorate paths around Headington with colourful chalk sketches to encourage more to take up drawing.

Kennett Road resident Jean Wykes has called for people to take to the streets on Saturday and decorate walkways along Headington Road and London Road.

She has organised the event as part of the Big Draw, a global arts festival taking place throughout this month.

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Ms Wykes said she started the Big Chalk in 2014 after hearing Andrew Marr talk about how drawing had helped him recover from his stroke.

The Oxford Brookes University mature student added: “I heard Andrew Marr speak about the campaign for drawing. He said that when he had his stroke, drawing helped him recover from it all.

“Drawing makes you more aware of yourself and what you just take for granted.

“There is a problem that schools are cutting back on art education, but drawing is so important for the development of children.”

The mother-of-three and retired primary school teacher said the chalk up will start at 9.30am and run until 4.30pm.

It is planned that people will be able to draw on any stretch of pavement along the London Road in Headington.

Ms Wykes has invited schools to join in the event, which this year has the theme of “Every drawing tells a story”.

She said the event will allow children to draw anything that they can relate to and share with others.

The launch of The Big Draw took place in Oxford last month.

As part of the initiative, narrative drawings made by local children will be on display at Barclays Bank, Headington, from Friday until October 30 and available to view weekdays from 9am to 4.30pm.Children’s Laureate, writer and illustrator Chris Riddell and author Philip Pullman were guests of honour to open The Big Draw at the Bodleian’s Weston Library in Broad Street.

The pair opened the festival with an illustration demonstration where Mr Pullman read an extract from his Grimm Tales while Mr Riddell illustrated.

President of The Big Draw Sue Grayson Ford said: “The Big Draw is a charity that changes lives by helping people to express themselves.

“At hundreds of events across the globe, our annual Big Draw encourages communities to breakdown cultural barriers, individuals to banish inhibitions, pick up a pencil or in this case chalk and see where their imaginations lead.”