There was plenty of excitement at St Aidan’s National School in Kiltimagh when Mayo Senior Football Manager Andy Moran and four Mayo Senior players paid a special visit to celebrate the winners of a colouring competition held in support of Sunflower Children’s Hospice.

The ‘Linking Little Lives’ Colouring Competition, run by Pamex Ltd, invited primary school children across County Mayo to get creative while raising awareness and support for the development of Sunflower Children’s Hospice.

The competition received an incredible response from schools, teachers, parents and pupils across the county, with entries showcasing the creativity and enthusiasm of Mayo’s young people.

For St Aidan’s National School, the excitement was particularly special as pupils Emilia Lee Farrell and Charlotte Rose Corless were among the winners.

Emilia was awarded first prize in the 3rd to 6th Class category, which included a visit from Mayo Senior players, while Charlotte received second prize, with a €200 Elverys gift card for the school.

Joining Andy Moran for the special visit were Mayo players Jack Coyne, Jordan Flynn, Cian McHale and Kobe McDonald.

The players first met Emilia and Charlotte in their classroom before joining a packed school hall for a lively question-and-answer session with pupils.

The children also heard about the important work of Sunflower Children’s Hospice from Martina Jennings, CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, before getting the chance to ask the Mayo stars their own questions.

The excitement continued outside, with jersey signings and a kickabout giving pupils the opportunity to spend some time with the players.

The visit was a wonderful celebration of the competition and the support shown by children and schools across Mayo for Sunflower Children’s Hospice.

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.”

The competition provided an opportunity not only to celebrate the creativity of Mayo’s young people, but also to raise awareness of the need for dedicated children’s hospice services in the West of Ireland.

Martina Jennings, CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, said:

“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.”

The colouring competition forms part of Pamex’s wider ‘Linking Little Lives’ campaign, which has raised more than €16,000 for Sunflower Children’s Hospice through a number of fundraising initiatives.

We are incredibly grateful to Pamex for choosing to support Sunflower Children’s Hospice and to everyone who has helped make the campaign such a success.

A special thank you also goes to Andy Moran, Jack Coyne, Jordan Flynn, Cian McHale and Kobe McDonald for giving their time to make the winning pupils’ day so memorable, and to the pupils, teachers and staff of St Aidan’s National School for their warm welcome.

It was a wonderful example of how the Mayo community can come together to support the future of children’s hospice care in the West of Ireland.