Cahercalla Children’s Art Competition launched

THE sunflower should shine through at all times. That’s the brief given to children who enter the annual Cahercalla Children’s Art Competition.
The sunflower is the emblem used by the hospice movement and the drawings and paintings produced by the children from all over the county are exhibited at Cahercalla Hospice where they lift the spirits of the residents.
Now in its third year, the competition, which is open to children between the ages of four and 12, has been a huge success according to Shirley Benson. She explained that children are told that no matter what they decide to do, the sunflower should feature in some way.
“We are reliant on the teachers putting up the posters and recruiting the children to take part. It’s important to get all schools involved. There’s a small entry fee and this goes towards Cahercalla Hospice.
“The children’s art is displayed on our Wall of Fame and the residents get to vote on the final 10 selected and from that, the winners are picked. It is of great interest to the residents as they walk by daily to see if their favourite has picked up enough votes to win. So everyone wins, the children who win a prize, the hospice by the funds raised and the residents by the raised morale during voting,” said Shirley.
The winning entries are displayed until the presentation is made to the children.
The prizes are presented by World of Wonder, Kilrush Road, Ennis. The closing date for entries is Friday, December 17.