Winning strokes - pupils use artwork to deliver safety messages
Date published:
12 primary school pupils from across Northern Ireland are being celebrated today after their winning artwork has been transformed into a new calendar.
The drawings and illustrations by the students, aged six to 11-years-old, were successfully chosen from thousands of entries to be featured in the latest ‘Avoid Harm on the Farm’ calendar from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI).
The competition challenged pupils to visually interpret critical farm safety messages including the dangers of working at heights, staying safe around slurry, carrying a phone if you’re working alone and not using the farm as a playground.
Speaking during a special event at Mary Queen of Peace PS, HSENI Chief Executive Robert Kidd said it was a difficult job picking the 12 winners as the quality of the entries was outstanding.
“It’s inspiring to see so many children grasp the seriousness of safety issues on our farms and then visually express the dangers and risks with these very meaningful pictures. They have been able to transform key safety measures into very simple and impactful visual actions,” he said.
“Sadly, in Northern Ireland farming remains one of the most dangerous occupations with 58 work-related fatalities from 2014 to 2024. So, it is vital that we continue to engage with children from an early age to educate them and their farming families on how to minimise risks and prevent accidents. I believe this year’s calendar delivers those serious farm safety messages in a fun, engaging and straightforward way.”
The 12 winners are:
- January - James Moran (aged six) from Moat PS, Co Fermanagh
- February - Cal Fallis (aged 10) from Irvinestown PS, Co Fermanagh
- March - Kyler Brown from Lisanally Special School, Co Armagh
- April - Arón Birkett (aged 11) from Mary Queen of Peace PS, Co Antrim
- May - Ellie Doyle (aged seven) from Grange PS, Co Down
- June - Travis Clarke from Lisanally Special School, Co Armagh
- July - Georgia McElwaine (aged 10) from Moat PS, Co Fermanagh
- August - Niamh McGovern (aged six) from St Martin’s PS, Co Fermanagh
- September - Katie Mulrone (aged six) from St Martin’s PS, Co Fermanagh
- October - Meaghan Bannon (aged seven) from St Joseph’s PS, Co Fermanagh
- November - Katie Murray (aged 10) from Mary Queen of Peace PS, Co Antrim
- December - Harry Moffitt from Florencecourt PS, Co Fermanagh
The competition was launched in June this year and was open to rural primary school pupils (foundation, Key Stage 1, and Key Stage 2) and pupils from Special Schools in Northern Ireland.
All the winners each received a £50 gift voucher from Yellow Wellies’ Farm Safety Foundation.
“The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) were delighted to support the ‘Avoid Harm on the Farm’ calendar competition this year,” said Manager Stephanie Berkeley.
“We were truly impressed by the creativity and thoughtfulness shown by those who took the time to enter. Their passion for farm safety shone through every design and these images will take pride of place in kitchens across the land all year reminding us that together, we can grow safer farmers and safer farms,” she added.
The calendar was sponsored by Farm Safety Partnership members and affiliates: Abbey Autoline, Northern Ireland Safety Group, DAERA, LANTRA, Power NI and Lakeland Dairies.
For more information about child safety on farms visit:
Notes to editors :
- For more information on the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP), please contact HSENI on 0800 0320 121 or visit https://www.hseni.gov.uk/articles/farm-safety-partnership.
- The Farm Safety Partnership comprises the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), NFU Mutual (NFUM), the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU), The Farm Safety Foundation, Rural Support, LANTRA, and the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association (NIAPA). It is tasked with assisting Northern Ireland’s farming community to work safely and tackle the problem of work-related fatalities and injuries on farms.
- The Farm Safety Partnership’s ongoing ‘Stop and Think SAFE’ farm safety campaign focuses on the four main causes of death and injury on our farms – slurry, animals, falls, and equipment (SAFE).
- The Farm Safety Foundation, or Yellow Wellies as it is known, is an independent registered charity working throughout the UK to address the attitudes and behaviours to farm safety and poor mental health in the next generation of farmers (under 40yrs) with the aim of reducing the number of farmers and farm workers suffering life-changing and life-ending injuries in the workplace and making our farms safer places to work, to live and to visit.
- For media enquiries, please contact HSENI Press Office on 028 9024 3249 or email media@hseni.gov.uk. For out-of-office hours, please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110.
- HSENI is the lead body responsible for the promotion and enforcement of health and safety at work standards in Northern Ireland.
- Captions:
(L-R) David Lowe, HSENI Agri-food Principal Inspector, Robert Kidd, Chief Executive HSENI, Malachy Conlon, Principal Mary Queen of Peace PS, Martinstown, Katie Murray, Mary Queen of Peace PS, Martinstown and Arón Birkett, Mary Queen of Peace PS, Martinstown.