FESTIVE cards designed by children at a Poole primary school will be helping Dorset families battling cancer this Christmas.

Pupils from Coastal Learning Partnerships’ Heatherlands Primary School, in Library Road, were asked by the Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF) to create images to adorn their 2024 Christmas cards.

Entries flooded in from across the school’s year groups and six winners were gathered last week to receive prizes and to see their designs which have been transformed into greetings cards.

Each of the winners: Charlie, Eli, Alex, Elena, Grace, and Terri, received a framed copy of their design and two tickets to a Dorset family attraction.

Charlie said: “This is amazing. I didn’t think I would win. I painted a snowman because I am hoping we will have snow this year and I can build a snowman.”

Alex said: “I feel very proud of myself.”

Grace added: “I didn’t know what was happening when I was called out of class, then they said I was a winner. It’s brilliant! I can’t wait to show my family my picture of a gingerbread man on the charity’s Christmas cards!”

The DCCF, based in Poole, raises funds to provide financial assistance to Dorset families facing financial hardship because of cancer. The charity gives non-returnable grants to help patients pay for costs including accommodation, transport to and from hospital, childcare and counselling.

Jo Saunders, marketing and communications Manager for the DCCF said: “We were impressed when we saw the beautiful designs the children had drawn and painted. It was extremely difficult to choose just six winners for our cards, but we did, and they look fabulous.”

She continued: “Meeting all the children was such a pleasure. They were extremely polite and interested to see what their designs looked like as actual Christmas cards. We are confident their cards will prove very popular this year and help us to raise much-needed funds to help many local families.”

Heatherlands Primary School headteacher Julian Churchill said: “We are very proud of the children’s response to this opportunity for a really important cause.

“We will now be aiming to sell as many cards for the DCCF as possible in the run-up to Christmas, both at school and at our Christmas Fair on December 6.”

DCCF Christmas cards cost £3 for a pack of six, with all proceeds going to local families with cancer and are available to order online from the DCCF website, or visit the DCCF office in Wallisdown Road, Poole.