Jarrow school boy wins competition to design an MP’s Christmas card

A nine-year-old boy has won a competition to design an MP’s Christmas card using a favourite landmark.

Jacob Sheridan chose the Boldon swans as his favourite representation of the area and used watercolours to paint his winning design.

His beautiful design, which beat more than 1,000 entries, was used by Jarrow MP Kate Osborne for her official Christmas cards for her constituency.

Jacob, who is a Year 5 pupil at St Matthew’s Catholic Primary School, which is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust said: “My design was based on the Boldon swans, which are famous in our local area.

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“I love art and used watercolours to paint my design as they blend well.

“I feel shocked that I have won as it could have been anyone who won from lots of schools in Jarrow. I feel so happy and excited that lots of people in Jarrow will receive a card with my design on it.”

The Jarrow MP visited Jacob’s school to thank him and present him with a prize – his very own House of Commons water bottle, selection box and a copy of the Christmas postcard – for winning the competition.

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His design has been seen by thousands of constituents, as well as businesses across the country.

Headteacher Eve Alderson said: “Everyone at St Matthew's was thrilled to hear that Jacob had won as he worked so hard on his design.

“We believe that nurturing a love of art and design is so important for our pupils and it is fantastic that Jacob's talents will be shared with our local community through this Christmas card.

“We are also proud of our runner up, Mandy Voong, and all the children who entered this exciting competition this year."