Children to design new gargoyles

The Bodleian is the second largest library in the UK

Children in Oxfordshire are being given the chance to design new gargoyles for the famous Bodleian Library building.

In a major renovation project on the 17th Century building 10 gargoyles, which have been damaged beyond repair, will be replaced.

As part of a festival celebrating 1,000 years of Oxfordshire, the University of oxford is running a competition to find new designs for the statues.

Anyone aged between eight and 18 in the county is urged to submit their ideas.

Isobel Hughes, head of conservation at the University of Oxford, said: "This an opportunity for the university to engage children in an educative process that stimulates them to find out more about the county where they live.

"It will reach out and show them they too can have an impact on history."