Eight lucky winners from schools across the Dudley South constituency have been awarded for artistic entries to their MP’s annual Christmas card competition

Arranged by Mike Wood, MP for Dudley South, the competition saw more than 1,000 entries submitted.

After whittling it down to an overall winner and 7 runners up, Mr Wood said:

“We’ve got so much Christmas spirit here in Dudley South, and I always enjoy running this competition to help encourage the creativity of our youngsters at this special time of year – so I’d like to give a big thank you to all the brilliant young artists who entered.

“I’d also like to thank Merry Hill and the other organisations who have donated prizes to help us celebrate the talent of this year's winners, and I hope shoppers will enjoy seeing these 8 fantastic designs on the digital displays here at Merry Hill over the Christmas period.”

As well as making it onto the MP’s Christmas card which is sent all over the country – to other MPs, Mayors and even King Charles III – the 8 winning designs are also being displayed on digital screens at Merry Hill.

Merry Hill also awarded the winners with gift cards, and additional prizes were given by Cadbury World, Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Zoo and the Red House Glass Cone.

Jonathan Poole, Centre Manager at Merry Hill added: “We’re delighted to support the Christmas card competition, we look forward to hosting this each year. It’s always fantastic to see the artistic talent in our local schools.

“The festive season is in full swing at Merry Hill and this community competition is another heart-warming addition to it. As a centre have many partnerships in the surrounding community and it’s especially important to us at this time of year.”