For celebrations this Christmas season, the Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Ken Meeson, chose to inject some community spirit into the annual Mayoral Christmas cards.
The Mayor partnered with Art at the Heart CIC – a community arts group in Solihull dedicated to providing ‘high quality arts and cultural learning’ to young people from all walks of life – to host a Mayoral Christmas card design competition for children aged 7-13 in the borough.
This is the first time a Mayor of Solihull has chosen to personalise their official Mayoral Christmas cards in such a way.
On Monday 6 December, the Mayor and Mayoress of Solihull hosted the winners and runners up at the Council’s Civic Suite for refreshments and a prize giving.
Bethany Hawkins, 13, won the age 10-13 category with a wonderful Christmas tree design, and the Mayor presented her with book tokens and a printed and signed copy of her card design.
Coralie Shepherd, 7, was the lucky winner of the age 7-9 category, with her design featuring a rather festive and colourful Christmas gift, but unfortunately was unable to attend the event and collect her prize on the day.
Two very talented runners-up, Aarif Li, 10, and Ria Sharma, 9, were also selected to receive book tokens as a prize for their submissions.
The Mayor and Mayoress were delighted with the chosen works of art, and both designs will be proudly distributed in Solihull as the official Mayoral Christmas greetings card in 2021.
The Mayor said:
“I felt very passionately that community should be a key theme in our Christmas festivities this year. Teaming up with Art at the Heart and giving the young people of Solihull this opportunity felt like a natural fit.
“The arts are such an integral part of our daily lives that can be often underappreciated. From the decorations in your homes, to the shows you watch on television to even the publication you’re reading this in now – none of it would be possible without very talented and creative people.
“Art at the Heart is a fantastic organisation that aims to ensure every child has an equal opportunity to receive a rich creative education and nurtures their potential to develop into another of these talented individuals.
“The card designs really are fantastic; the Mayoress and I are taken aback by the wealth of talent in the young generation of our borough, and we couldn’t be prouder to sign our names on each and every one of these wonderful Christmas cards.”