W L
HUNDREDS
OF SCHOOL CHILDREN TAKE PART IN COMPETITION TO CREATE FUTURE VISION FOR WEST KIRBY
Over 300 West Kirby school pupils have taken part in a competition to create a vision for the future of their hometown .
The competition , which was launched by community group One West Kirby , asked 14 – 18-year-olds , attending West Kirby schools , to create a future West Kirby through art , design technology , photography and creative writing .
The shortlisted work was judged by a panel of experts , including awardwinning photographers , architects , artists and an internationally renowned scriptwriter , alongside local councillors .
Competition organiser , Iona Horsburgh , from One West Kirby , said : “ We are anticipating that Wirral Borough Council will shortly commission a Masterplan for West Kirby and the views of young people are often forgotten in these consultation processes . We wanted to make sure that our local pupils were given a platform to present their ideas to experts and to show off their incredible creativity ”.
A clear theme that came through in the submissions was an awareness by the pupils about the environmental impact of their design ideas and a desire to ensure future developments expanded on the concept of green technologies and sustainability . The pupils also fed back that they felt that West Kirby lacked colour and many of their ideas showed buildings in a new light .
Award-winning architect and competition judge , Adam Hall , said : “ Along with the other judges , I was incredibly impressed with the range and creativity of architectural design ideas that were presented to us . The winning ideas provided an exciting insight into the minds of the local young people of West Kirby and how they see a future vision for the town as an attractive , sustainable , green place to live , work and play .”
Stephen Gray , headteacher of Calday Grange Grammar School , said : “ It made me immensely proud to see such amazing ideas put forward by our students . There is no doubt that this was an enriching experience for those involved and I thank the team from One West Kirby for coming into school and spending such valuable time with our students . It is a pleasure to be part of such a project .”
Cllr Simon Mountney said : “ I was delighted to see the depth of thought that had gone into the designs and concepts the students submitted . We should never underestimate the depth of feeling and insight the younger generations have about our environment and architecture .”
Simeon Clarke , Headteacher of West Kirby Grammar School , said : “ We are thrilled that two of our students have been announced as joint winners and we congratulate them on their success . This achievement underlines our belief that these students have the potential to become great artists or designers in the future .”
Internationally renowned author and script writer , Murray Watts , who judged the creative writing category , said : “ We need hope and vision more than anything , as we enter this New Year and encouraging young people to take part in such dynamic and creative forwardthinking is truly inspiring . I have been so impressed with the quality of the writing , the power of language and original thinking from these school children . It is a privilege to be involved .”
In total 10 winners and two commendations were chosen from entrants from West Kirby Grammar and Calday Grange Grammar Schools , who will receive masterclasses from the expert judges .
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