Press Releases

Budding artists build up a head of steam at MERL

Release Date : 22 August 2007

A pair of talented youngsters were given a special prize after winning two colouring competitions run by Reading's Museum of English Rural Life.

Five-year-old Georgie Gardner-Cliff came top of her group with her brightly coloured drawing of a tractor, while eight-year-old Sophie Bradbury sent in a picture of a steam engine.

Children from across the country sent in their colouring-in sheets after collecting them from MERL's stand at two local steam rallies.

Nicolette Evans, MERL's Project Outreach Officer and one of the judges, said,

"We were really pleased to see a wide variety of coloured engines and tractors which made it a hard job to decide on the winners."

"We also used the competitions to show children in a fun way how tractors, steam engines and ploughs work and make them aware of the museum which houses a wide range of steam and agricultural machinery."

MERL, which is owned and managed by the University of Reading, attended the shows to promote its 'Heavy Metal' archive project to steam enthusiasts, tractor historians and model makers.

Little Georgie, from Home Way in Petersfield, Hampshire, was fascinated by the tractors and steam engines when she saw them at the Steam and Vintage Show at Basingstoke's Milestones Museum during a visit with her family in May.

Sophie, from Smithland Court in Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, got involved when she visited the Woodcote Rally near Reading on 14-15 July.

The youngsters received their prizes on Friday (August 17) at MERL.

Entries came in from families based close to the show venues and as far away as East Sussex, Horsham and Northamptonshire.

MERL also runs children's activities during half-term holidays and is used by local schools as a learning-aid for history lessons.

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For further information, please contact Nicolette Evans, Project Outreach Officer on 0118 378 8660 or by email at n.evans@reading.ac.uk

For University of Reading media enquiries, please contact James Barr, Press Assistant, on 0118 3787115 or email j.w.barr@reading.ac.uk