TALK about the sweet taste of success! That’s exactly what a group of budding young artists enjoyed when they joined the Mayor of Wigan for a special tour of our borough’s answer to Willy Wonka’s place, the Uncle Joe’s Mintball Factory and Emporium.
It was their just reward for helping the Mayor of Wigan with one very important part of her Christmas list – the cards.
The Mayor, Cllr Rona Winkworth, recently set school children from across the borough the task of creating colourful designs to grace her official Christmas cards this year.
And the borough’s young people rose to the challenge!
Cllr Winkworth and her team had to sift through more than 100 entries to find three winners from primary, secondary and special schools.
“We had so many wonderful entries that it really was like Christmas had come early,” says Cllr Winkworth.
The Mayor’s chosen charity this year is the Children’s Ward at Wigan’s Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, which is also known as the Rainbow Ward.
So the winning designs not only had to be festive but they had to include a rainbow.
“It was difficult to narrow them down to just three,” says Cllr Winkworth. “But the winning designs really are special.”
And the winners are…five year-old Annabel Parkes of St Mary and St John’s, Wigan took top honours in the primary school category and Hesketh Fletcher Year 9 Pupil Rebekka.
Jolley won through in the secondary school competition.
Winning designs by (l-r) Hope School senior 4 class, Annabel Parkes and Rebekka Jolley
The winners in the special school category were the senior 4 class from Hope School, Marus Bridge.
Each winner will have their designs made into mayoral Christmas cards which will be sent far and wide. Any Borough Life reader who would like to buy one at 50p to support the charity should contact Kathleen Tonks on 01942 827165 or email k.tonks@wigan.gov.uk (stocks are limited so hurry!)
