Get creative and help city #StaySafeBeKind this Christmas

Young people are being invited to get creative to help encourage residents to look after one another and follow the latest Covid-19 guidelines over the festive period.

The Wolverhampton Learning Communities Partnership has launched a competition inviting eight to 21-year-olds to create an image which will be used to illustrate the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Christmas Stay Safe, Be Kind campaign.

A range of great prizes on offer, including an Apple iPad and Pencil, and £100 and £50 gift cards.

Jo Goldie, Chief Operating Officer for YMCA Black Country Group, a member of Learning Communities Partnership, said: “Young people are a key factor in ensuring the message about people staying safe in their communities and supporting one another throughout the seasonal period is taken to every part of Wolverhampton.

“We want to harness their creative abilities through this competition, so that we can reach as many people as possible with the message to #StaySafeBeKind.”

Entries should be emailed to wlv.learningcommunities@gmail.com by 5pm on Wednesday, 9 December. Designs can be created in any media, including digital, and should be A4 in size. For more details, please contact Jo at jo.goldie@ymcabc.org.uk or by calling 07921 435492.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “We’re looking forward to seeing some really creative designs which we can incorporate into our festive messaging; please think about how you might encourage people in the city to look out for each other while following the Covid-19 guidelines this Christmas, and send us your designs as soon as you can.”

Launched the start of the pandemic, Stay Safe, Be Kind campaign offers clear and simple advice about how people can help themselves, and how they can support others who may be particularly vulnerable at this time. For more information, please visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/stay-safe-be-kind.

Wolverhampton Learning Communities is a grass roots led initiative established by community and charitable organisations across the city. The partnership has been working together to lead on a community Covid-19 campaign which will feature a range of activities taking place over the coming months. For more information about the partnership, or to join, please email karen.sahota@wolverhampton.gov.uk.

The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at www.gov.uk/coronavirusand on the council’s own coronavirus pages at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/coronavirus. Details of the national lockdown measures in effect until 2 December, and the answers to frequently asked questions, are available at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/covidalert.

Symptoms of Covid-19 include a fever, a new, continuous cough and loss or change to a person’s sense of taste and smell. To book a test, visit www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or call 119. People can get tested within eight days of developing symptoms.