Ellie and Ella, students at Norton Hill School, along with Oliver, a member of Norton Youth Group, have won the local competition of the Lions Club’s International Peace Poster Contest 2015–2016, sponsored by the Radstock and Midsomer Norton Lions Club.

Ellie, Ella and Oliver’s posters were among more than 450,000 entries submitted worldwide in the annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Lions Clubs International is sponsoring the programme to emphasise the importance of world peace to young people everywhere. The posters were selected for their originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme, ‘Share Peace’.

The winners each include a quote describing the poster or their inspiration for their poster. Ellie said: “Peace starts with a smile,” Ella wrote: “If one person has peace given to them they will do the same,” and Oliver said: “Everyone should be treated with respect and respect others.”

At the recent awards evening held in Midsomer Norton Town Hall for the young people and their families, the Mayor of Midsomer Norton, Councillor Paul Myers, with Lions Club President, Rob Jamieson, presented certificates and gift vouchers to the three winners, the three who achieved second place and the ten merit award winners from Norton Hill School, Norton Youth Club and Peasedown St John Youth Club.

At the end of the evening, Norton Hill School, Norton Youth Club and Peasedown St John Youth Club were all presented with cheques by the Lions Club in recognition of their support of the contest.

The title for the Peace Poster Contest 2016–17 is ‘A Celebration of Peace’. Students, aged eleven, twelve or thirteen on November 15th 2016, are eligible to participate. Posters advance through several judging levels: local, district, multiple district and international. At the international level, judges from the art, peace, youth, education and media communities select one grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners.

Sally Marsh