Young Artist wins The Mall Blackburn competition
An eleven year old aspiring artist from Blackburn has won The Mall Blackburn’s #DesignABinToWin competition, beating off stiff competition from hundreds of entries.
Saadiqah Patel, who is from Blackburn and attends Witton Park Academy, was invited to The Mall for the official unveiling of her colourful ‘KEEP BLACKBURN TIDY’ design on The Mall’s recycling bins.
In addition to her artwork taking pride of place, she has also won a brand new bike, £350 cash for her school and a class tour of Neales Waste Management.
Saadiqah said: “I couldn’t believe that I had won the competition. My mum is a teacher and she brought home the entry form so I asked her if I could enter too.
“I wanted to draw something colourful and simple that made people think about recycling. I love art and really enjoyed coming up with the design.”
Sarah McAlister, who is Saadiqah’s form tutor, added: “I am extremely proud of Saadiqah’s winning competition entry and it will be fantastic to see her work in the Mall.
“It is amazing to know that our students care about the environment and want to encourage others to put their litter in the bins!”
Her father, Farooq Patel is also very proud of his daughter and said: “When Saadiqah entered the competition it didn’t even cross her mind that she would win, so we were all absolutely delighted when she did!
“She is a very creative girl who loves art history so winning this competition is a great achievement for her.”
Open to schools and individuals across the county, the competition was part of The Mall’s EnviroMall initiative, which has been raising the profile of environmentally friendly practices within The Mall and the local community for more than ten years.
Loraine Jones, General Manager at The Mall Blackburn, said: “We were inundated with entries to our #DesignABinToWin competition, which is testament to how conscientious children of Lancashire are about the environment.
“Judging was a difficult task but the judges unanimously agreed that Saadiqah’s design really stood out. The colours are fabulous, the message is simple and striking and it looks fantastic on our recycling bins – well done Saadiqah!
“I would also like to thank Neales Waste Management once again for their help with this project.”
Hugh Stewart, Managing Director at Neales Waste Management, said: “We are delighted to be involved with The Mall Blackburn’s EnviroMall initiative. It’s wonderful to hear they received so many great entries to their competition and we are very much looking forward to working with them again.
“We would like to congratulate Saadiqah on her winning entry. It will be fantastic to welcome her and her class to Neales Waste Management for an exclusive tour of our plant."
Picture shows: Saadiqah Patel stands proudly in front of her design in The Mall Blackburn