Amateur artists who have learning disabilities in Lichfield and Burntwood are being encouraged to get creative as part of a county wide contest.
Staffordshire’s Joint Commissioning Unit has launched the competition for people to design a Christmas card ahead of the festive season.
The contest is being sponsored by the county’s Learning Disability Partnership Board.
People aged 18 and over are being encouraged to let their imaginations run riot and design an eye-catching card.
They can use their photographic flair to capture the festive theme, draw a Christmas cartoon or brush up on their painting skills.
The winner will scoop a £15 prize while the budding artist who comes in second place will be awarded £10 and the designer in third place will receive £5.
The lucky winners will be announced at the Learning Disability Partnership Board Christmas disco which is set to be held at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on December 1.
Staffordshire County Councillor Matthew Ellis, Cabinet member for Adults and Wellbeing, said:
“This is an excellent opportunity for budding artists to let their imaginations run wild. People can paint, draw or take photographs to use on their Christmas card – it’s all about using your artistic licence and allowing your creative juices to flow.”
Colin Savage, Chair of the Learning Disability Partnership Board, added:
“We recently ran a photographic competition for people with learning disabilities which proved to be very popular and prompted some exciting and unique entries. I’m sure that this contest will be equally as successful and I look forward to seeing the designs that Staffordshire’s aspiring artists come up with over the next few months.”
The competition deadline is October 16 and each person can submit one entry. There are no restrictions on how big the Christmas cards should be but they must be clearly labelled with the designer’s name, address and phone number.
Entries should be sent to Sarah Taylor, Joint Commissioning Unit, Wedgewood Building, Tipping Street, Stafford, ST16 2DH. For more information on the competition call Sarah on 01785 277089.