Panting the world's largest Union Flag

To celebrate the year of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics, the world's largest image of the Union Flag in Cowes, Isle of Wight is being repainted.

The giant hangar doors at Venture Quays were first painted in 1977 to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Now 35 years on this world-famous, 46m x 12m permanent image of the Union Flag will be revitalised, commissioned by the Artemis Offshore Academy, to celebrate a glorious year for Great Britain in 2012.

On Friday, 22 June, Cowes.co.uk were at Venture Quays to film the Union Flag being painted by school children from the Holy Cross School in East Cowes, as well as celebrated round the world sailors Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson. Also present were Jane Rann, Mayor of East Cowes and local artist Lynn Young who is famed for her Union Jack paintings.

Over the next six weeks the painters will be busy finishing off the giant Union Flag and they will be joined by a host of supporters who will be picking up a paint brush to add their lick of paint in this mammoth task!