Year 7 students joined schools across the country yesterday for an exciting creative challenge, teaming up with the legendary Beano to help create The Never-Ending Comic!
Organised by the National Literacy Trust as part of the National Year of Reading 2026, the nationwide event brought young people together to celebrate storytelling, creativity and the power of imagination.
Learning from the comic creators
During a special online session, students were guided by members of Beano’s creative team, including Mike Stirling and Craig Graham, alongside comic illustrator Chanté Timothy. They shared their expertise, creative tips and insights into how comic characters and stories come to life.
The challenge? To help create one giant comic adventure, with schools across the UK contributing their own ideas, characters and illustrations to a story that keeps on growing.
At the heart of the activity was one simple question: “What would happen if…?” From there, students were encouraged to let their imaginations run wild, developing unexpected storylines, creating characters and deciding what might happen next.
Every student has a story to tell
Our year 7 students have each been given a special comic booklet to complete and submit, giving them the opportunity to contribute to this ambitious nationwide project and become part of a never-ending comic created by young people across the country.
One of the key messages from the Beano team was that you don’t need to be an expert artist or writer to create a great comic. Sometimes all it takes is a pencil, a piece of paper and a brilliant idea!
The event formed part of the National Year of Reading 2026, a campaign encouraging children and young people to discover the joy of reading through their own interests and passions.
Inspiring creativity at Walton
A special thank you to Mrs Dammes, our academy librarian, for organising this opportunity, and to all the staff who supported the event and helped make it such an enjoyable experience.
It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to explore creative storytelling, develop their confidence and discover that reading and writing can take many different forms.
