HUNDREDS of school pupils from five counties across north Wales have taken part in a competition to design a Christmas card with a very special message.

The card competition was launched by Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd, who represents the North Wales region in the Senedd.

The theme was about climate change and primary school pupils were invited to design a card that reflected this topical issue.

Shelby from Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog with Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd.

Shelby from Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog with Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd.

Mr Gruffydd said: "This year is the first time I've held a Christmas card competition so it was something of a leap in the dark. I was, however, delighted to receive more than 250 entries from schools across five counties in my region and the standard was equally high.

"Given my interest in climate change and the environment, I made this the theme of the competition. I was also aware that COP26 and the subject of climate change had been discussed by many schools recently so it was fascinating to see the very creative responses to the challenge.

"Many opted for the graphic impact that climate change was already having on our planet and many more posed a fairly stark choice facing us. I was particularly struck by the winning cards and the clear message they sent.

Daisy from Ysgol Bro Alyn with Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd.

Daisy from Ysgol Bro Alyn with Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd.

"I'm delighted to say that the winners of the competition are - for the infants category - Shelby from Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog near St Asaph and - for the junior category - Daisy from Ysgol Bro Alyn near Wrexham. I'm sending their winning entries to thousands of people electronically this year and hope that they will appreciate the effort that's gone into producing the cards.

"I'd also like to thank all the pupils and staff at the schools who took part and made this such an enjoyable experience."