Katie wins art award

The youngster’s poster was the best in Scotland

a seven-year-old schoolgirl from Bathgate has won a national competition and a trip to Westminster for her and her family by designing a poster warning people of the dangers of carbon monoxide.

Katie Hutchinson entered the CO-gas Safety competition through her 4th Bathgate Brownies group and saw her poster declared the best in Scotland.

Katie’s dad Robert said:“We’re very very proud. She’s very artistic, she’s always doing arts and crafts.”

Katie won cash prizes for both herself and her Brownie group and was presented with her trophy by an Mp.

A seven-year-old girl showed she had designs on success when she won a national competition.

Katie Hutchinson, from Bathgate, designed the winning poster for Scotland in the CO-Gas Safety Competition and was flown down to London to claim her prize.

Launched in 2007, the competition asks children aged five to 11 from across the UK to design a poster, write a poem or short-story or make a video highlighting the dangers of carbon monoxide that are both informative and accurate in warning of the dangers of CO poisoning.

The youngster entered the competition through her Brownies group 4th Bathgate and won £300 for them, as well as a £150 cheque for herself and a trophy.

Katie and her family were taken to Westminster where they were give a behind the scenes tour before she was given her prize by Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield.

Speaking about her adventure to London Katie said: “It was really fun”.

Robert Hutchinson, Katie’s dad said he and his wife were very proud of their daughter’s achievement.

Mr Hutchinson said: “We’re very, very proud. She’s very artistic, she’s always wanting to do art and crafts.”

Robert was also full of praise for the people running the competition and what they had set up for his daughter.

He said: “They flew us down to London and gave us a tour of Westminster - which was an invite from Labour MP Barry Sheerman.

“Then we were taken into the Committee Room and we saw a few MPs including Boris Johnson and Vince Cable.

“It was very kind of the organisers and they paid for everything.”

Katie was also entered into the final of the UK competition for her poster when she was in London.