The Manx Co-operative Society has teamed up with the Manx Wildlife Trust to launch a competition challenging children to design new collection boxes, which will be used to help raise funds for the nature conservation charity. All children in years five and six (aged between nine and eleven) at primary schools on the island are invited to take part, and they are tasked with creating a Manx wildlife-themed design for the new boxes, which will then be placed in various Co-operative Food stores. This is the first time The Co-operative has teamed up with the Manx Wildlife Trust on a schools project since the inception of a dedicated Co-operative Membership team that was set up for the Isle of Man in 2009. The idea was born last year when the manager of The Co-operative Food store in Port Erin invited the Trust to install a collection box on the counter. To make sure the charity’s ethos of protecting Manx wildlife for the future was clearly illustrated, the Trust invited dedicated volunteer and talented artist Godfrey Pitts to create a design for the box. The beautifully painted wooden collection box, complete with a carving of a Great Tit, was a real success in store and inspired the fundraising team to continue the idea with a schools competition. Anne Marie Kilgallon, Fundraising Officer for the Manx Wildlife Trust, is leading the project. She said: “Children are generally very interested in wildlife but often are not aware of quite how much is around them at all times. “We hope this competition will provide the inspiration to really take note of the environment around them and they will translate their findings into colourful designs for the collection boxes. “Twenty three schools have already shown interest in the competition so the results are looking promising and I’m sure the judges will have a tough job on their hands selecting three winners from all the entries.” Chris Boyd, Membership Manager for The Co-operative on the Isle of Man, said: “Supporting the Wildlife Trust’s collection box design competition is a great way of engaging children with wildlife, as well as helping to raise awareness of the charity’s fantastic work on the island. “I’m sure the winning designs will brighten up our till areas and encourage more shoppers to support the Manx Wildlife Trust.” The competition closes on Friday 11 February and a group of judges, made up of staff and volunteers for The Co-operative and Manx Wildlife Trust, will select the three best designs. These will then be hand-painted onto collection boxes, which will be placed in different Co-operative food stores on the island for a year. The Manx Wildlife Trust is also offering free, inspirational wildlife talks, delivered by its Education Officer, to all schools taking part in the competition. ENDS