South Westmeath Hospice school art winners
South Westmeath Hospice celebrated the success of its Schools Art Competition with the opening of a special exhibition at the Luan Gallery, Athlone, featuring the work of eight talented young artists selected from more than 800 entries submitted by 18 primary schools across Westmeath, Longford, Roscommon and Offaly.
Based on the theme of Sunflowers, the competition was designed to introduce children to the work of South Westmeath Hospice in a fun, positive and creative way. The response exceeded expectations, with pupils producing an impressive collection of colourful and imaginative artwork.
The eight winning entries have been professionally reproduced on South Westmeath Hospice’s Annual Sunflower Day fundraising cards. The young artists received copies of their cards at a special exhibition opening on Friday, attended by family and friends.
The winning artists were Eliza Cuffe and Aoibheann Brogan (Scoil Eoin Naofa, Ballymore), Emma Conway (St. Paul’s NS, Athlone), Nathan Gaffey (Kilcleagh NS, Castledaly), Jayden Cornally and Shane Wilson (St. Oliver Plunkett’s BNS, Moate), Oisín Smyth (An Grianán NS, Mount Temple) and Rosie Brennan (St Peter’s NS, Athlone).
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Proud grandparents Bernadette and Ian Wilson attended the Luan Gallery where their grandson Shane Wilson along with his dad Eric were delighted to see Shane’s art work on display in the gallery. Photo: Terry O’Neill.Image 2 of 4
Megan Byrne (Luan Gallery), Rosie Brennan (winner), Stephanie McEvoy (Luan Gallery), Clare Lennon (Chairperson South Westmeath Hospice), Oisín Smith (winner), Shane Wilson (winner), Aine Mc Fadden (South Westmeath Hospice), Gráinne Dunican (South Westmeath Hospice Hospice), Carmel Duffy (Manager Luan Gallery) and front row Tom Lennon, Nathan Gaffey (winner) and Emma Conway (winner). Photo: Terry O’Neill.Image 3 of 4
Eliza Cuffe with her art work.Image 4 of 4
Aoibheann Brogan was one of the winners.A spokesperson for South Westmeath Hospice said: “The purpose of this competition was to introduce children to Hospice positively and creatively. The children embraced the theme of Sunflowers with tremendous enthusiasm and imagination. Through their artwork, we witnessed first-hand the wonderful creativity that exists within our local communities.”
The hospice also paid tribute to the judges, who faced the difficult task of selecting eight winners from more than 800 entries.
“The standard of artwork was exceptional. Choosing only eight winners was incredibly challenging, and we sincerely thank our judges for the time, care and dedication they brought to the process.”
Thanks were also extended to the 18 participating schools and their teachers for supporting the initiative during a particularly busy period in the school calendar.
The Hospice acknowledged Carmel Duffy and the team at the Luan Gallery for hosting the exhibition; Temple Printing for producing the fundraising cards; Spectrum for sponsoring the exhibition signage; photographer Terry for capturing the occasion; and the Westmeath Independent for helping to share the story with the wider community.
Following the success of this year’s competition, South Westmeath Hospice has announced that the event will return in 2027, with the number of winning entries increasing from eight to sixteen.
The winning artworks remain on display at the Luan Gallery until June 19 and will continue to feature on the Hospice’s Annual Sunflower Day fundraising cards, helping to raise vital funds for local hospice services.
The Annual Sunflower Day Collection takes place on Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13, with volunteer fundraisers collecting throughout Athlone and Moate. South Westmeath Hospice thanks the community for its continued generosity and encourages the public to support the collection, with every donation helping to make a difference to local hospice services and the families who rely on them.