Colouring competition winners revealed by Mayo manager and players

Pamex Ltd has announced the winners of its Linking Little Lives colouring competition, a community fundraising initiative run in aid of the Sunflower Children's Hospice.

The competition, which invited primary school children across Co. Mayo to take part, drew an exceptional response from schools, teachers, parents and pupils, with entries showcasing remarkable creativity and effort.

In a wonderful celebration of the competition results, Mayo GAA senior football team manager Andy Moran and players Jack Coyne, Jordan Flynn, Cian McHale and Kobe McDonald paid a special visit to St. Aidan's National School in Kiltimagh to personally congratulate the winners.

First and second prize in Category 2 (third to sixth class pupils) went to St. Aidan's pupils Emilia Lee Farrell and Charlotte Rose Corless respectively.

Second prize in this category was a €200 Elverys gift card for the school but first prize was a visit by Mayo senior players, and it was met with enormous excitement throughout the school!

The players congratulated Emilia and Charlotte in their classroom before joining a packed school hall for a Q&A session with all pupils.

Children heard about the important work of the Sunflower Children's Hospice from Martina Jennings, CEO of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, put their questions to the players, and enjoyed jersey signings and a kickabout outside with the Mayo stars.

Tom Murphy of Pamex Ltd said: “We were blown away by the creativity, colour and effort shown in every single entry. It was truly amazing to see the support from across Mayo for such a worthy cause.”

Martina Jennings, CEO Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, added: “We are so grateful to Pamex Ltd and to every child across County Mayo who picked up their colours and took part in the Linking Little Lives colouring competition. The response from schools, families and communities has been incredible and serves as a great reminder of how deeply people care about bringing vital children's hospice services to the west of Ireland.

“Every entry, every donation and every act of support like this brings us one step closer to making the Sunflower Children's Hospice a reality for the children and families who need it most.”

Pamex Ltd extended its sincere thanks to Andy Moran and all the Mayo players for generously giving their time to make the day so memorable, and to the students, teachers and staff of St. Aidan's National School for their enthusiastic participation and warm welcome.

Meanwhile, the Category 1 (junior infants to second class) winner was Jason McAndrew, Knockanillo National School, Ballina, who received a €50 Smyths voucher.

The colouring competition forms part of Pamex's wider Linking Little Lives campaign, which has already raised more than €16,000 for the Sunflower Children's Hospice through a series of fundraising initiatives, including a family day in Portarlington, a wine and cheese evening, and generous contributions from Pamex corporate partners and a skydive by one of their employees and a local karate club training camp event in Castlebar.

The campaign's flagship event, the Linking Little Lives Relay, will take place on June 24 and 25, when the Pamex team will undertake a 235km relay from Dublin to Castlebar over 36 hours, followed by a family fun day at the Mall, Castlebar, on June 26.

For many families in the west of Ireland, the journey to Dublin for specialist children’s care is long and difficult. The Pamex team will walk that distance to recognise that reality and to help bring hospice services closer to home. Step by step, the walk will symbolically link the journey from Dublin with the future hospice site in Castlebar, representing the journey of care that so many families travel.

Every donation will help fund the development of the Sunflower Children's Hospice, a dedicated facility that will provide specialist palliative and respite care for children and young people living with life-limiting illnesses, alongside emotional, practical and bereavement support for families across the western seaboard. Log on here if you wish to make a donation.