CHILDREN and teenagers are using the cold weather as their inspiration in a winter-themed art competition to raise money for a charity caring for seriously ill youngsters.

Pastels 2 Paint, an art gallery and shop on Wickford High Street, is calling on local children and teenagers to paint, draw, collage or to create a digital image based on the theme of Winter Wonderland to enter an art competition in aid of Little Havens Hospice.

The competition is the second of its kind organised by Pastels 2 Paint the first of which raised £157.95 for the hospice during the school summer holidays. The competition is open for entries between December 1 and January 10 and there are three categories for those aged five to seven, eight to 11, and 12 to 16.

There is an entry fee for the competition of £1 which will be combined with raffle proceeds to be donated to Little Havens Hospice which cares for babies, children and teenagers with serious illnesses, and their families, from across Essex.

Michelle Tuddenham, volunteer and artist at Pastels 2 Paint, said: “We held our first competition to give children and young adults the opportunity to show off their work in an art gallery and to show everybody the young talent that Wickford has.

“After a great response we decided to do it all again with our new theme Winter Wonderland which could be a theme park filled with winter themed rides, an ice rink or maybe a cosy place they like to relax in when it’s cold outside.

“The choice is theirs. I hope that local children and teenagers will be inspired and enjoy taking part in the competition. I am also delighted that we are once again able to support our local children’s hospice, as I know the hospice means so much to the children and families it cares for. So I would like to encourage everybody to join in with the competition and show their support.”

Peter Hall, community fundraiser at Little Havens, said: “At Little Havens we help by controlling pain and medication, offering respite and caring for children at the end of their lives. We don’t charge a penny for this care and that simply wouldn’t be possible without the support of the community. So I would like to thank Pastels 2 Paint for thinking of us when organising both their competitions and encourage children and parents across the county to join in the fun.”

Entries to the competition must be on paper up to a maximum of A3 size. Entrants are free to use paint, pencil, collage or create their own digital image in their designs (but no clipart should be used). There is an entry fee of £1 and all profits will be donated to Little Havens. Entries to the competition must be received at Pastels 2 Paint by Saturday January 10 either delivered directly or by post.