CHILDREN from Somers Park Primary School in Malvern have been chosen to star in a campaign to launch a new national art competition.

Leukaemia CARE, a national charity based in Worcester, has teamed up with FunMats: The Art of School Fund-raising to introduce this new art competition to schools nationwide.

To mark the charity’s 40th birthday schools are being invited to enter the competition, which runs from December to the end of June 2009. At the end of the competition selected works will feature in an exhibition at Thinktank in Birmingham.

A few children, a class or the whole school can enter.

Children from Somers Park, Somers Park Avenue, and the three judging artists, David Birtwhistle, Gilly Mound and Eric Bottomley, launched the art competition. A spokesman for the competition said: “There are lots of great prizes on offer from FunMats, both for the winning pupils and for their school. The competition has three age categories and is open to pupils from age five through to 11 years. The theme is ‘My family – the people who CARE for me.’ “The artists who have agreed to judge the competition are all well know within their field and are offering to visit the winning schools to run an arts workshop as part of the prize.”

Teach Primary Magazine is also supporting the competition by donating a year’s free subscription to the winners’ schools.

Full details of the competition can be found on raise4leukaemia.org.uk and clicking on the art competition teaser. From there they can download an information pack. Schools can also e-mail events@leukaemiacare.

org.uk or call 0845 5213456.