Anna, winner of the three to five-years-old category. Courtesy Leicester Children's Fund.
Artworks created by children in Leicester are now on show in the Upstairs Gallery at the City Gallery where they will be on display until January 1 2005.
The images were all entered into the recent Happy To Be Me art competition, jointly organised by Leicester Children’s Fund and The City Gallery.
Held in October, the competition was aimed at encouraging children to value diversity and celebrate the differences within and around their communities.
To enter, Leicester Children’s Fund and The City Gallery asked participants to create self-portraits, in whatever media they chose, to celebrate what it’s like to be a child.
Jess, winner in the nine to 13-years-old category. Courtesy Leicester Children's Fund.
"Children decided on the name Happy To Be Me for the competition, which we felt was ideal," explained Ian Hall, Information Officer at Leicester Children’s Fund.
"It provides a great opportunity to share positive images of children from a wealth of cultures and backgrounds, who have different physical and intellectual abilities, that represent Leicester."
The competition was judged in three different age categories, three to five, six to eight and nine to 13, budding local artists Anna, Elise and Jess taking the honours respectively.
Each was awarded £50 worth of art equipment, donated by HomeCrafts Direct, and their pictures are set to be made into a card that will be available across Leicester.
Local newspaper The Leicester Mercury is also kindly sponsoring prizes for the seven runners-up in each age group and will publish the winning pictures.
Elise, winner in the six to eight category. Courtesy Leicester Children's Fund.
"It has been a great opportunity to work with the Leicester Children’s Fund," added Mona-Lisa Cooke, Education Officer at The City Gallery.
"Art is a fantastic way for children of all abilities to express themselves and to gain confidence. The exhibition promises to be a stunning showcase of artworks by the children of Leicester."
Leicester Children’s Fund exists to support and develop preventative services that work with children and is currently funding some 35 local projects.
The organisation is managed by NCH, the national children’s charity, and works with partners across the city to remove barriers to success and help children reach their full potential.
