Pupil sees winning van design hit the road
20 July 2007
TALENTED pupil Daniel Poole received the thrill of a lifetime when his winning entry in a 'Paint Our Van' competition ended up being used as the actual livery for a company vehicle.
Daniel's design will now be seen on the road in and around the Christchurch area for the next six months after he won the contest organised by AquaCare, the plumbing, heating and drainage services business.
The ten-year-old pupil watched in stunned surprise as the van sporting his artwork was driven onto the playground at Somerford Primary Community School.
Fellow pupils cheered and clapped as he was presented with a £25 token by Simon Booth, AquaCare's Managing Director, before being invited to closely inspect the van emblazoned with his design.
More than 130 entries were received from four schools in the competition which was staged by AquaCare to mark its tenth anniversary. The company is part of Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water,
Two fellow pupils from Somerford Primary Community School - Kirsty Baron and Tomas Clarke - also won tokens together with Hannah Pilley of The Priory CE VA Primary School in Christchurch.
In addition, Somerford Primary Community School was presented with a £150 cheque by Mr Booth.
He said: "We were looking for a fun and different way to celebrate a landmark anniversary for AquaCare as well as involving young people in the community we serve.
"The response was absolutely tremendous. The excitement generated by the decision to put the winning design on an actual van had to be seen to be believed. It's been a huge success."
Judges for the competition include Jim Hunter, Director of School of Art, The Arts Institute at Bournemouth; Nigel Beale, Deputy Chairman, Beale plc and Non-Executive Director of Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water plc and Robin Thompkins, Chief Reporter (Christchurch), Daily Echo, Bournemouth.
ENDS
Picture captions (top to bottom):
1. Open and shut case: Daniel Poole in the AquaCare van sporting his design.
2. Designs on you: Simon Booth, AquaCare's Managing Director, presents a £150 cheque to pupils at Somerford Primary Community School.
3. It's all my work: Daniel Poole shows off the AquaCare van emblazoned with his artwork.
Editor's Note: Aqua Care, which is based in Christchurch, is the property services and maintenance business of Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water (BWHW). In February, the company doubled in size after BWHW acquired gas installation and maintenance firm Pre-Heat Ltd for an undisclosed sum. Together the enlarged business, which continues to trade under separate names, has an annual turnover in excess of £9 million and employs 120 staff. The majority are directly employed gas engineers and plumbers.
For more information please contact:
Simon Booth, Managing Director, Aqua Care, on 01202 591100 or Andrew Diprose, PR Account Director, Deep South Media, on 01202 534487.