On behalf of the three Coulsdon Town Councillors, we want to give a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to enter our ‘Posters of Hope’ competition. So many across Coulsdon took part, with over 50 entries submitted across all categories.
All demonstrate the huge creative talent in our community. Many posters are poignant and poetic. Others are acutely political. Support for our precious NHS is high, and keenness is to protect our planet is clear. There are those that reflect on the way we lived before the pandemic, and what our children miss in their lockdown lives. All celebrate the optimism and the simplicity of being kind to one another and supporting our communities – and the hope for the future once this is all over.
For me, this poster competition started as a nice way to promote a little bit of light in a chaotic world – and to give our local kids something positive and creative to do whilst stuck at home. It’s ended as an insightful window into how our children have interpreted the crisis.
Like the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11 and the Financial Crash were to generations before them, Coronvavirus will be a significant, life-altering memory for many of our children. They may not have the words to express how it has affected them, but through their art we can understand more about how they feel about the pandemic. This competition is a snapshot in time, through it we can help them to transition back to life as normal as lockdown is lifted – something I believe it vital to their futures.
It was a stiff competition, and the judges thought long and hard about who should win each category and the £25 gift voucher prize.
The results are below:
Category 1 - up to 6 years old
- Winner: Saha, age 5.
- Runner up: Siddhath, age 5.
- Third place: Ferne, age 4.
Category 2 – aged 7 to 11
- Winner: Elise, age 10.
- Runner up: Isobel, age 8.
- Third place: Nix, age 10.
Category 3 – aged 12+
- Winner: Purdie, age 12.
- Runner up: Kavisha, age 12.
Category 4 – children of key workers
- Winner: Jasmine, age 8.
- Runner up: Lottie, age 9.
- Third place: Thomas, age 5.
Thank you to all the children who took part and their parents who helped to facilitate their brilliant entries - all of which you can see right here.
