Ffion Prosser won a selection of goodies and £100 for her school, Gilwern Primary, for her drawing of a bee as part of the National Park Authority’s Discover Pollinators Drawing Competition. The contest, run in conjunction with Open Farm Sunday and Wales Biodiversity Week, challenged youngsters to draw pictures of pollinating insects crucial to the agricultural industry.
The challenge was judged by award-winning Llanthony Valley author and illustrator Caroline Downey, who also provided prizes for some of the best entries.
Caroline, author of the ‘Proper Dragon Tales’ books, said of the Discover Pollinators Drawing Competition entries: “I really did find it difficult to pick a winner because the standard of entries was so high, but Ffion’s bumble bee really did stand out from the crowd. I chose it because it had so much character, and the attention to detail was fantastic.”
Margaret Underwood, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority Member Champion for Biodiversity, added: “I feel it’s key children learn about the importance of pollinators. Without them we wouldn’t be able to grow our own fruit and vegetables, and we wouldn’t be able to enjoy half of the things we eat. In terms of their value worldwide, it’s estimated that they’re worth around £120 billion – without them we would starve.”
Patricia Doree, Information Officer for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, said: “We were absolutely overwhelmed by both the number and standard of entries in the Discover Pollinators Drawing Competition, and we are really pleased with how well the schools responded to the contest – it really captured the imagination of youngsters in the National Park.”
Highly commended in the Discover Pollinators Drawing Competition were Cross Ash Primary School pupils Tom Heath and Amelia Rose Lane, Matthew Jackson of Gilwern Primary School, Talgarth Primary School’s Rowan Peel, Sasha Tomlinson of Llangors Church in Wales School and Bethan Morris of Llanbedr Church in Wales School.
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