Royal treatment for Jubilee card comp winner

A schoolgirl from Brighstone on the Isle of Wight was given the royal treatment this week after winning a competition to design a Diamond Jubilee card for the Queen.

Ellie Davidson fought off competition from all 47 Church of England schools in the Portsmouth Diocese with her eye-catching grid design that featured the Christian fish symbol and crosses alongside the number 60.

Her card was presented to the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Christopher Foster, during the Diamond Jubilee service in Portsmouth Cathedral on Sunday morning.

It has been signed by worshippers in Anglican churches across south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and sent to the Queen in celebration of her six decades on the throne.

As a mark of congratulations, Ellie, a pupil at Brighstone C of E Primary School, was given a VIP tour of HMS Warrior in Portsmouth before being treated to tea and cake with the captain, Commander Ken Jones.

Ellie, who was accompanied by her family on the visit, was also able to see her card on display with the other top 25 entries in Portsmouth Cathedral.

“It has been brilliant,” she said. “I feel so proud. I decided to do a different design to what everyone else was doing.

“It’s my first time on HMS Warrior and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s so interesting. I got to fire a canon, swing in a hammock and I also saw the rat in the engine room and saw the punishment cells.”

The competition was part of the Big Thank You, a national initiative from the Church of England to encourage worshippers to send personal good wishes to the Queen. Each congregation was sent a page that congregation members could sign, thanking the Queen for her 60 years of service to the nation. The pages were then collated in each diocese before being sent to Buckingham Palace.

The winner in the category for five to seven-year-olds was Ada Kohlmaier-Sims, aged six, from Shalfleet C of E Primary School, also on the Isle of Wight. She won a certificate and goody bag.

The top card designs are on display at Portsmouth Cathedral until 15 June.