Shropshire school pupil’s eye-catching artwork makes safety signs for busy county road

Five-year-old Spencer Jones’ design has been recreated on road safety signs for the A483 through Pant on the Shropshire/Mid Wales border.

Bryn Offa CE Primary School pupil Spencer won a National Highways competition to design new road signs for the road, which would catch the eye of motorists and remind them to consider their speed.

Pupils at the school, which is next to the main road, submitted a huge number of entries for the judges but they eventually agreed that Spencer’s design was the winner.

His design, featuring a colourful snail with a rainbow shell and the clear message ‘slow’,  was put onto two road signs which sit at the gateway to Pant and near the school.

National Highways route manager Joseph Walmsley said: “It was really difficult choosing a winner, we had a stack of entries and the competition was fierce. But we chose this design because it was bright, clear and eye-catching.

“We needed a design that was simple and could be read quickly without being too distracting for drivers. Spencer’s picture was perfect.

“This fantastic design will definitely remind drivers to check their speeds as they come into Pant and help improve safety on this important route.”

The Royal British Legion Industries organisation (RBLI) agreed to make the road signs for free for the people of Pant, and contractor Colas offered to install the signs free of charge.

The RBLI provides employment and career opportunities to armed forces veterans and people with disabilities in its manufacturing business.

Mr Walmsley added: “We are grateful to both Colas and RNLI for giving up their time and resources to help us keep this road safe and share Spencer’s excellent design with the village and road users.”

Bryn Offa CE Primary School headteacher Celine Keleher said: “We are delighted that one of our pupils’ designs has been chosen for the new road sign in our village. It’s a wonderful celebration for our community and a powerful reminder to drivers to slow down. At Bryn Offa we are always looking for ways to make our roads safer, and we look forward to continuing our work with National Highways to reduce speed and protect everyone in our village.”

National Highways and Colas also paid a visit to the school recently to talk to pupils about the importance of picking up litter and donated a number of litter pickers to help them keep the area clean.

The visitors talked about how dangerous rubbish can be.

Around three million animals are killed every year because of roadside litter with wildlife attracted to rubbish which brings them closer to the dangers of fast-moving traffic. They can choke or be poisoned by discarded food or trapped/injured by food packaging.