It’s special Kay as Daniel clinches Chelsea postcard prize

Caption: The winning school class (Middleton St Mary’s Primary School Year 6) with the winner Daniel Kay (front row second from right) holding his winning design with Leeds City Council acting head of parks and countryside Sean Flesher (far left) and Patrick Hennigan of garden sponsors HESCO Bastion Ltd (far right)

A Leeds primary school pupil is to have his work seen by thousands of people from all over the world after winning a competition to design a postcard to be given out to visitors at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Eleven-year-old Daniel Kay from Middleton St Mary’s Primary School in Leeds saw his design come out on top from entries submitted by Key Stage 2 pupils across the city in the competition designed to help promote ‘The HESCO Garden 2010 ‘ – Leeds City Council’s show garden entry at Chelsea this month.

Daniel’s winning design, which reflects the themes of the garden which is based on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the value of parks and green space in Leeds, will now be turned into 10,000 postcards to be given out in Leeds and to the visitors at the show itself which takes place from May 25-29 in the grounds of the Royal Hospital in London.

Daniel will also be able to see The HESCO Garden 2010 for himself as for efforts he has also won free tickets and transport for himself, one of his parents and his teacher to attend the world-famous show which attracts over 150,000 people from all over the globe including Her Majesty The Queen and a host of famous names.

Postcard competition winner Daniel Kay said:

“I’m ecstatic to have won. It was a real surprise as I never win anything – I couldn’t believe it! The project really helped me learn about gardens and nature and the animals we have living in Leeds, so I wanted to show that in my design. I’m really excited about going to London to see the show and I can’t wait to see the garden.”

Daniel’s classmates will also benefit from his success as each pupil is to receive a special environment-themed goody bag from the garden’s sponsor HESCO Bastion Limited, while his school will also receive £200 of plants grown by Leeds City Council’s Parks and Countryside Service and a day of curriculum-linked environmental activities led by the council’s Parks and Countryside Rangers.

Leeds City Council’s acting head of parks and countryside Sean Flesher said:

“The schools competition is always really successful and again this year we had lots of great entries so well done to everyone who took part. Daniel’s stood out though as he packed so much attention to detail in and it impressed everyone who saw it.

“His design reflects the themes of The HESCO Garden 2010 very well and I’m sure Daniel will have a fantastic time when he visits the show.”

As part of the competition, the school groups took part in a learning project around the key themes behind The HESCO Garden 2010 – the importance of green corridors linking city centres to the countryside and the native wildlife to be found in and around Leeds.

The HESCO Garden 2010 design itself is based on the iconic Leeds-Liverpool Canal, and is being produced by Leeds City Council’s Parks and Countryside Service in partnership for a second year with sponsors HESCO Bastion Limited, the Leeds-based manufacturers of products used in civil engineering.

HESCO Bastion said:

“This year’s postcard design competition has communicated the garden’s message of green spaces and engineering traditions to be found in and around Leeds in an innovative way to the schoolchildren of Leeds. HESCO Bastion were overwhelmed with the quality of entries received and would like to congratulate Daniel for his winning design as well as all the children from Middleton St Mary’s Primary School in Leeds for their creative entries.

“HESCO are proud to sponsor Leeds City Council’s 2010 Chelsea garden entry which focuses on engineering developments of the past, and the present, all of which contribute to the vibrancy of Leeds.”

Leeds City Council has enjoyed great success at Chelsea in recent years, with all seven previous gardens dating back to the first in 1997 earning bronze or silver category awards. Four of these gardens can now be visited by the public at sites around the city.

For all the details and latest news on The HESCO Garden 2010, visit the official website at www.leedsatchelsea.com and follow the garden as it develops on Twitter at twitter.com/leedsatchelsea.


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For media enquiries please contact:
Roger Boyde, Learning and Leisure Media Relations Officer,
Tel 0113 247 5472, Email: roger.boyde@leeds.gov.uk

Fire safety message delivered through community artwork

Caption: Two examples of artwork produced by budding artists on the project

Walls inside the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (WYFRS) new safety education centre Safety Central will soon be decorated with artwork created by users of the Osmondthorpe Resource Centre and Armley Helping Hands in Leeds.

Safety Central, based on Stanningley Road is the brigade’s flagship centre of excellence for fire safety awareness and education, and has already had outstanding success in working with people who may miss out on receiving safety information.

The six week art project delivered through Safety Central gave vital fire and road safety information to those taking part information, and has resulted in the production of some outstanding pieces of artwork which will be presented to WYFRS on Friday 14 May 2010.

The artwork was produced under the skilful guidance of local artist, Kevin Hickson, and will be displayed in public places around the centre.

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Media are invited to attend Safety Central, Stanningley Road, Leeds LS12 3PL on Friday, 14 May at 12 noon for the presentation of artwork produced by the group of artists to the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

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Craig McIntosh, assistant chief fire officer for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said:
“This six week art project organised by Safety Central working jointly with Armley Helping Hands and Osmondthorpe Resource Centre is an excellent example of what partnership work can achieve whilst assisting WYFRS to successfully deliver key fire safety and road safety messages.

“The project has been successful in helping the group build their confidence whilst learning about fire safety and road safety.”

John Perman, who attends Osmondthorpe Resource Centre and is one of the artists on the project said:
“I was working as a mechanic before I had my stroke, and have found it really frustrating not being able to carry on with my job because of the long term effect it has had on my health.

“Being involved in this project has been fantastic for me because it’s given me the confidence to try something new and use my hands creatively again to produce something that I’m really proud of. Its been great to work as part of a team and see how everyone’s confidence has grown as a result of working with Kevin.

“I plan to continue with art now that I’ve had this chance to have a go and been given tips by a professional; its definitely a new interest for me.”

Councillor Valerie Kendall, deputy executive member with responsibility for adult social services said:
“This project is a great example of the excellent work that the centre does to support and rehabilitate the people that use it.

“Giving people the opportunity to try something completely new can give their confidence a real boost and help to build their self-esteem. They should be really proud of what they have achieved, knowing that their artwork will be enjoyed by lots of other people for years to come.”

Vera Wright and Vera Gzyl from Armley Helping Hands said:
“We've completely enjoyed it. It has been a wonderful opportunity and something we would not have had the chance to get involved in otherwise.

“The only bad thing is that it is coming to an end. We have not only learnt about arts and crafts but about fire and road safety and how to look after each other.”

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Additional info
Osmondthorpe Resource Centre has been helping to rehabilitate people after life-changing accidents or illness for 21 years, by providing a range of opportunities including education, work skills training, day-to-day independent living skills and emotional support as well as an award winning Woodtech project, creating employment opportunities.

Armley Helping Hands offers a friendly and supportive environment to assist older people to maintain independence, improve quality of life and reduce social isolation by getting members involved in the local community. They offer a variety of activities for example, coffee mornings, luncheon clubs, exercise classes and healthy living activities.

Safety Central is the centre of excellence for the development and delivery of safety awareness and education, led by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, working in partnership with local agencies, organisations and communities.

For media enquiries, please contact;
Claire Macklam, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 395 1578
Email: claire.macklam@leeds.gov.uk

England’s 2018 World Cup bid arrives in Leeds

A copy of England’s official World Cup bid document is to be delivered to Elland Road tomorrow (Friday).

England’s official bid to be the host country for the 2018 World Cup will be delivered to FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, at 9.45am on Friday. At 9am, the Leeds City Region will receive its copy which showcases the region’s facilities available to teams and fans during the tournament should England’s bid be successful.

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Media are invited to Elland Road to welcome the bid arriving in Leeds at 9am on Friday 14 May. Please report to the West Stand reception and ask for Paul Dews.
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The bid book will be dispatched from Wembley Stadium in a G4S security van and be received at Elland Road by the Leeds United chief executive, Shaun Harvey, and the leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Andrew Carter.

Commenting on the bid document, Shaun Harvey, chief executive of Leeds United, said:
“Leeds inclusion in the England bid is the culmination of 12 months of hard work by the Leeds City Region bid team. It has been a fantastic team effort between many different groups for Leeds to be included in England’s bid to be the host country and the receipt of the official bid today is the culmination of all the hard work.”

The leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Andrew Carter added:
“The World Cup is the world’s largest sporting event. If England can secure the 2018 nomination then the Leeds City Region will experience a festival of football the likes of which it has never seen before.

“It would be great news for business and tourism too, with experts predicting the region would see visitors spending over £150m in the region’s hotels, shops, bars, and restaurants during the competition.”

The bid book is a confidential document as it’s a formal tender to stage the World Cup in 2018. However, ‘Bid Book Lite’ which is a condensed version, is available to the public at www.england2018bid.com after 9am on Friday.

For media enquiries please contact:
Jon Crampton, Leeds City Council press office, 0113 3951577
Email: jon.crampton@leeds.gov.uk