Drawing competition to inspire children.

Creative colleagues in Exeter are inviting youngsters to get to the art of the matter by helping to raise awareness about good eye health.

To mark National Eye Health Week (23-29 September), staff at the city’s Specsavers store are inviting children to let their imaginations run wild for a drawing competition.

Children aged 13 and under can pick up a template drawing of glasses from the High Street store and draw what they would like see through the glasses.

Emma Pope, store manager at Exeter Specsavers, says: ‘This is a lovely competition and we are looking forward to seeing children really let go with their imaginations. The more creative and imaginative the picture, the better it will be.

‘Show us a wonderful place in the world, a picture of your family or best friend in a favourite place of yours, or maybe a pet or a favourite holiday you’ve had.

‘But of course the picture doesn’t have to be inspired by real life. You can create something really fanciful from your imagination and use the brightest colours to make it stand out.

‘The aim is for children to have fun with this, but of course there is a serious message here as well.

‘Sight is often the sense that people say they wouldn’t want to be without, so when the children are showing us the amazing image they’d love to see through the glasses, they could also perhaps think about how they value their sight and how they can look after it.’

The competition is being run by the Devon Local Optical Committee. Permission must be given by parents/guardians to enter the competition.

Young aspiring artists can then pick up a drawing template from the Specsavers Exeter store or download it from https://shorturl.at/YubmP. When the picture is finished, it can then be taken to the store by 27 September.

The three age categories are 0-4 years, 5-8 years and 9+ years. The first prize winner in each category will receive £25, second prize is £20, and third prize is £15.

Specsavers Exeter is open seven days a week, offering eye health services and hearing services. For further information, call the store on 01392 210604.