To mark the Baton of Hope coming to Hereford last Thursday (2 October), local school children were invited by the Healthy Schools team to explore the theme of ‘hope’ through two inspiring projects: ‘What hope means to me’, featuring individual artworks, and ‘What hope means to us’, showcasing whole school collaborative pieces.

Their creativity and imagination captured what hope looks like in their world - friendship, kindness, laughter, and the joy of being together.

In the individual artwork competition, two pupils from Whitchurch Primary School were announced as winners in the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 categories.

The whole school competition was won by Kingstone and Thruxton Primary School. The school’s ‘Wellbeing Warriors’ and children from across the school worked together to create a beautiful piece of artwork symbolising hope and wellbeing. It featured a vibrant rainbow, formed from the children’s fingerprints, and a tree chosen to represent growth and to remind us that when we grow together we become stronger.  The picture also references the school’s sensory garden – a special place many of the children chose as it helps them feel calm and relaxed.  This collaborative artwork celebrates unity, resilience, and the importance of nurturing both wellbeing and community spirit.

Whitchurch CE Primary School, Little Dewchurch CE Primary School and Bredenbury Primary School were all highly commended for their collaborative artwork.

Emily Lowe, Head of Communities at Herefordshire Council, said:

We’d like to send a huge thank you to all the children and schools who took part in our competition. Your artwork was fantastic, and we loved looking at all the entries. They were great for helping to remind us all of the central message of hope at the heart of the Baton of Hope coming to the county.

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