Churchtown Primary School pupil wins Damien Moore MP's 2023 Christmas Card Competition

ON Friday, 8 December 2023, local Member of Parliament, Damien Moore, announced the winner of the annual Christmas Card Competition.

In November, Primary Schools across Southport were invited to participate in the competition, with pupils asked to submit a festive themed drawing or design for Mr. Moore's 2023 Christmas Card.

Out of over 600 submissions received, this year's winner is Zuzanna, a Year 4 pupil from Churchtown Primary School, with an entry featuring festive icons including Father Christmas and Rudolph.

Zuzanna's winning design will appear on over 750 Christmas Cards, sent by Mr Moore to King Charles III, fellow Members of Parliament, foreign diplomats, dignitaries, and local organisations across Southport.

On Friday, Zuzanna, was presented with a framed certificate by Mr. Moore, including a photo of the Prime Minister holding her winning design. The 4 runners up have also received certificates, in addition to a chocolate prize.

4 runners up were also selected, whose designs are featured on the cards reverse.  The runners up are:-

• Jessica, year 6, from Holy Family Catholic School.
  

• Pola, year 4, Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School.
  

• Grace, year 5, Holy Family Catholic Primary School.
  

• Blake, year 6, Kew Woods Primary School.

Member of Parliament for Southport, Damien Moore, said:- "Congratulations to Zuzanna from Churchtown Primary School for winning my 2023 Christmas Card Competition with her fantastic Father Christmas and reindeer scene. I am truly impressed by the amount of creativity, effort, and time you put into your winning design. Featuring Zuzanna's design, I've sent out over 750 cards to members of the Royal Family, including HM King Charles III, Members of Parliament, foreign diplomats, dignitaries, and organisations across Southport and the globe. I would also like to congratulate the runners-up Jessica, Pola, Grace, and Blake for their outstanding entries. Despite tough competition, their designs stood out among the hundreds submitted by Primary Schools across Southport. I hope that everyone who participated enjoyed the competition as much as I did, and I am excited to see next year's impressive entries."

Headteacher of Churchtown Primary School, Mrs. Payne, said:- "On behalf of the pupils, parents, and teaching staff of Churchtown Primary School, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Zuzanna, a year 4 pupil, on winning this year's Christmas Card competition. Zuzanna's classical interpretation of Christmas perfectly captures the spirit of the festive season, and her winning design showcases her remarkable skills, passion, and dedication. We would like to express our gratitude to our local Member of Parliament, Damien Moore, and the project sponsor, Brown Turner and Ross, for hosting and presenting this year's competition. Once again, congratulations to Zuzanna for her outstanding achievement!"

Red Squirrel Photograph of the Year competition 2024

A competition to photograph red squirrels; 1 of the UK's most endearing and loved animals, is again being sponsored by the Red Squirrel Survival Trust and, in addition to a cash prize, the overall winner's entry will appear on the front of the charity's 2025 calendar and on a jigsaw puzzle.

The competition is called:- 'Red Squirrels Through The Seasons' and four winners will be selected from entries in the Open category covering:- Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. 1 of these will be crowned as the overall winner. The 4 seasonal winners' photographs will also be used in the appropriate monthly page of the calendar. There is also a special category for young photographers aged 18 and under.

Mark Henderson, the Red Squirrel Survival Trust's volunteer advocate, organises the competition and explained:- "Entries are open between 30 November 2023 and 28 February 2024. Entrants must be purely amateur photographers and images can be in colour or black and white. Many of the photographs are likely to be used in publicity and awareness campaigns during the year."

The 4 seasons category and the 18 and under winners will each receive:- £50 and the overall winner an additional:- £50. Full terms and conditions can be found on the RSST's website.