A schoolgirl from Haverfordwest has won top prize in a national Christmas card competition run by sight loss charity Guide Dogs.
Ffion Dulson, aged six, was judged to have the best entry across all age groups with Santa’s Busy Night, which features Father Christmas flying his sleigh with three reindeer above a Christmas tree and two snowmen. The reindeer are made with finger paint, and Rudolph has a red glittery nose.
The competition, open to under-18s with a vision impairment, was judged by top illustrator Tony Ross, best known for his much-loved Little Princess series and a collaborator on David Walliams’ best-selling children’s books. He has been illustrating books for over 40 years and has been published all over the world.
Praising Ffion’s winning entry, he said: “Apart from the cleverness of using all the elements, the whole thing was very well handled. The card looked like a happy card, the elements were well-drawn, and filled the space well. I feel that this card could go into production, and make a very appealing Christmas card, and sell well. In my opinion, this is the best design through all age groups.”
Ffion, who attends Waldo Williams Primary School in Haverfordwest, won a range of arts and craft supplies including paper, finger paints, tactile stickers, pom-poms, sequins, pipe cleaners, feathers and scented markers.
Her parents, Barry and Pat, said: “Ffion is so excited! We were thinking of making some cards and selling them next year to try and raise some money for Guide Dogs.”
Andrea Gordon, external affairs manager for Guide Dogs Cymru, said: “We are proud to have a Welsh winner who is so young and so talented. Guide Dogs knows that with the right support, there are no limits to what children and young people can achieve.”
Ffion's winning design will be sent to MPs and Senedd Members to highlight the importance of ensuring children with a vision impairment can access the specialist support they need, as part of Guide Dogs’ Making Childhood Equal campaign.
Runners-up in the competition were Dominic Dew, nine, of Lincolnshire and Kyla Lawrence, age 13, from Warwickshire. A special mention was made for a braille entry by Zainab Noreen, 13, from Bradford.
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