Schoolboy James Bell was the toast of classmates after his story telling skills landed them a dream trip to Cadbury World.
The nine-year-old scooped 28 Cadbury World golden tickets for his class at St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School in Handsworth after winning a story competition organised by transport authority Centro.
The Year 4 pupils were given a guided tour of the famous chocolate factory before tucking in to a free goody bag of Cadbury treats.
James’ winning entry, which beat more than 500 rivals from around the West Midlands, has also been turned into an animated storyboard which features on Centro’s award winning eco-friendly website.
His cartoon features a boy called Adil who, together with his father, walks and catches the train to Cadbury World. While on the trip they avoid traffic jams, admire the scenery and get some valuable exercise.
Assistant Headteacher, Annette McGrath, said:
“We were absolutely delighted when we heard that James’ story had been awarded first prize and we we’re very proud of his achievement.
“Our children love writing and always create marvellous stories, often with a clear message.
“They were really excited about going to Cadbury World and as you would expect they had a fantastic day out.”
James was presented with his winner’s certificate by Centro’s sustainable travel office Rachel Hooper.
Rachel said: “The competition was very popular and we received hundreds of excellent entries from school children across the region. It has proved a great way for young people to use their creativity, engage with public transport and win a fun day out in the process.
“James’ story showed how you can plan your journey on the internet and clearly illustrated how easy it is to visit top attractions like Cadbury World by public transport while helping the environment in the process.”
Centro launched the comic strip competition to encourage Key Stage 2 students across the region to use their creative and literacy skills to come up with a story that showed their fellow pupils the benefits of using green and healthy travel.
The website was developed three years ago by Centro and Resources for Learning. It uses cartoons and interactive games linked to the school curriculum to encourage children in the West Midlands to use green and healthy travel on their journeys.
There are zones for students to help build their confidence in using public transport, walking and cycling, and to teach them how to be streetwise and travel safely.
I want to go I never have plz