The Edge - October 2023

8
Warrington & Vale Royal College celebrates Warrington’s
most promising young artists in annual competition
Committed to finding and
celebrating talented artists from
across the region, Young Artist
of the Year is one of Warrington
& Vale Royal College’s most
beloved competitions, which
broke records this year with
its huge uptake. With over
80 entries from 14 different
schools around Warrington and
Cheshire, we were blown away
by the outstanding quality of
work submitted and the talent of
all entrants.
Open to both year 10 and 11
pupils, the college annually seeks
to crown two winners: Young
Digital Artist of the Year and
Young Creative Artist of the Year.
The prizes up for grabs included
a state-of-the-art Wacom Intuos
Creative Pen Tablet and an artist’s
essentials kit worth around £70
from Abacus Resources.
This year’s entries were highly
unique and varied, including
sculptures, textiles, digital
photography and various painting
and drawings, all of which
demonstrated the entrants’ passion
and talent for their crafts. The
judges, made up of the college’s
Assistant Director of Creative Arts,
Ben Brady, and Subject Leader of
Graphic Design, Ellie Strowger,
had the tough decision of choosing
who would be this year’s winners
out of so many fantastic pieces.
Cardinal Newman Catholic High
School pupil, Carys Backhouse-
Worrall was this year’s top
Creative Artist, having painted
a stunning abstract portrait on
canvas, mixing techniques of
painting and collage to create a
stand-out piece. The judges felt
immediately drawn to Carys’ use of
bright colours and varied textures
to bring the canvas to life.
Tom Welsby, a year 11 pupil at
Hope Academy in Newton-Le-
Willows, was chosen as this year’s
winner of the Digital Artist category,
having submitted a striking digital
drawing inspired by the 1991
horror movie American Psycho.
The judges were blown away by
Tom’s work, commending him on
his technical proficiency and his
instinctive use of depth and colour.
The competition culminated in
an eclectic exhibition and award
presentation attended by over 90
guests, including entrants and their
families and friends, as well as
teachers and head teachers from
Cardinal Newman Catholic High
School, Golborne High School,
Middlewich High School,
Sir Thomas Boteler C of E High
School and St Chad’s Catholic &
Church of England Academy, to
name but a few.
Taken aback by the uptake of the
competition, Ben Brady was keen
to commend the efforts of all of the
entrants, saying: “This year has
truly been a special year for the
college’s Young Artist competition.
Not only have we seen the most
entrants to date, but the calibre,
variety and professionalism of work
has been of an unprecedented
standard.”
The college wants to extend its
sincere thanks and congratulations
to all the entrants who participated
in the year’s competition with the
hope of seeing plenty more from
these exceptional artists in the
near future.
To find out more about the range
of artistic courses on offer at the
college for both school leavers and
adults, visit: wvr.ac.uk/art.
Young chefs surprise and delight expert judges in the
college’s annual Junior Masterchef competition
Warrington & Vale Royal
College was delighted to host
pupils from Warrington, Wigan,
Winsford and beyond for its
annual Junior MasterChef
Competition. The final cook-off
was held at the college’s awardwinning
Buckley’s Restaurant,
where young culinary talents
from six schools from across
the North West showcased their
amazing skills and creativity.
This competition is open to year
9 and 10 pupils every year, who
are invited to design and submit
a delicious menu in teams of two.
This menu is then presented to
our expert tutors, who choose
which dishes they would like to see
cooked in the college’s professional
kitchens. This year, the competition
saw a record number of entries,
with shortlisted pupils from
Culcheth High School, Hawkley
Hall High School, Lowton High
School, Weaverham High School
and Winsford Academy claiming
their place in the final cook-off.
As an extra challenge, the college
asked all entrants to consider
ideas of sustainability when
designing their menus. These
brilliant young chefs rose to the
challenge by using fresh, locally
sourced ingredients to create
their delicious dishes. Entrants
went above and beyond, sourcing
fresh herbs from their gardens,
purchasing vegetables from local
allotments and, in the case of
Benjamin Witherington and Luke
Connor Ashton from Culcheth
High School, even catching
their own mackerel to use in their
dish. By choosing local produce,
they not only promoted healthier
eating but also reduced their
carbon footprint and supported
businesses close to home.
This year’s competition was judged
by Nigel Smith from Chef Patisserie
and Jack Vance, a former
hospitality & catering student from
the college who is now a Sous Chef
at The Little Manor in Thelwall.
Invited to sample the food and
judge the young chefs’ performance
in the kitchens, the expert judges
were blown away by the talent and
dedication on display.
Nigel said: “It is an absolute
pleasure to be judging this year’s
Junior MasterChef Competition.
We have seen amazing creations
from equally amazing young chefs.
I hope that using the college’s
outstanding facilities and hearing
feedback from such passionate
tutors at the college has given
these pupils an experience they
won’t forget.”
After 90 minutes of cooking
from the finalists, the judges
were presented with a feast of
creative fayre, including a tasty
vegan calzone, a rich sticky
toffee cupcake topped with Italian
meringue, a delicate vegetable
risotto and fresh wild berry
cake. After an intense period of
difficult deliberation, the judges
came to their decision, and Beth
Mutton and Polly Johnson from
Weaverham High School were
awarded 1st place and given this
year’s top prize of £100 in high
street vouchers. Well done Beth
and Polly!
The college would like to extend its
gratitude to all the talented entrants
and their teachers who made
this fantastic event possible and
congratulate all finalists for their
exceptional efforts.
Keep your eyes peeled for more exciting competitions launching this year!
01925 494 494 Campuses in Warrington and Winsford Warrington & Vale Royal College
wvr.ac.uk