A prize-winning poster featuring Snibston Colliery Park and its green credentials has been displayed at the newly-revamped site in Coalville.

Lilly Appleby, from Ibstock Community College, was crowned winner of the competition and her design, alongside highly-commended entries, is now on show at the Colliery Cafe for visitors to admire.

The competition, run by Leicestershire County Council and Fortem Solutions, encouraged young people aged from five to 16 design a poster promoting the new park, its mining heritage and its ambition to be a zero-waste hub.

More than 214 schools across Leicestershire entered the competition and four judges were chosen to select their top three.

Terri Eynon, lead judge and county councillor for Coalville north, had the difficult decision of selecting the winner from the shortlisted entries.

She said: "It was so wonderful to see the artistic talent and passion that so many young people have for the colliery park and its environment.

"We had some fantastic entries and if we could have picked more than one, we would!

"We're looking forward to seeing Lilly's poster on display and I'm wishing all pupils across Leicestershire a successful return to school."

Tackling climate change is one of Leicestershire County Council's top priorities and working with Fortem on the regeneration scheme has allowed for carefully considered developments.

The site has been transformed for visitors and includes an environmentally-friendly cafe, solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.

County council leader, Nick Rushton said: "Nurturing our green spaces and reducing our carbon footprint is vital.

"This competition reinforces the collective message that tackling climate change and looking after the environment is everyone's responsibility.

"The competition winners have done a fantastic job of showing the balance between enjoying leisure facilities while looking after them too."

Paul Bryant, Site Manager at Fortem Solutions said: "This competition was a great way for us to engage with the local community and bring them on this journey with us.

"Snibston Colliery Park has been a very diverse project for us to work on, rich in history and full of ecological life.

"The entries to the competition were phenomenal and every school who took part should be really proud of the work they've done.

"This year has been very different for everyone and we're pleased we've been able to bring people together through this competition."

Lilly's poster will be on display in the Colliery Cafe from today (Wednesday).

The top three entries received a prize and many were highly commended:

2nd (and primary school winner) Alex Sainsbury, Hugglescote Primary School

Grace Price, Ibstock Community College

Summer Maxwell, St Clare's

Leighton Hyde, St Clare's

Judges for the competition included:

• Paul Bryant (Site Manager, Fortem)
• Councillor Terri Eynon (County councillor for Coalville north)
• Stuart Warburton (Snibston Heritage Trust)
• Julia Keeling (Strategic Commissioning Manager, Leicestershire County Council)

All judges had to conduct judging separately in line with Government guidance at the time and the decision making was done virtually.