Glasgow pupils receive top marks at Circular Economy inspired art show

17 October 2019

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Thursday 17th July

A group of Glasgow pupils have received top marks in St. Enoch Centre’s Circular Economy themed art and design competition.

Glasgow’s next generation of business leaders took part in the art competition over the summer months and the initiative culminated in a special award ceremony in the leading Glasgow shopping centre.

The partnership between St. Enoch Centre and Circular Glasgow challenged pupils in Govan, Hillhead and Notre Dame High Schools to come up with innovative circular solutions that can be embedded within a shopping or retail environment.

Almanar Alenzi, Erica Calucando and Naima Mohamed from Govan High School took top prize for their upcycled dress design which impressed the judges and saw the school awarded a cheque for £200. Notre Dame High School’s Amna Farhad came a close second with ‘The Power of Pens’ submission while Nuala Dunbar from Hillhead High School came in third place with her submission ‘Re Shuse’.

A special recognition school prize was awarded to Govan High School for their ‘Circle Time’ entry where the school had used art and design to show how using disposable, inexpensive items such as umbrellas could be turned into feasible fashion clothing, tents for homeless, jewellery, costume design and other alternative uses .

Special recognition was also given to two pupils from Notre Dame High School, Aminah Wasim and Abbey Carlin, as well as Hillhead High School pupils Chloe Black, Sam Young, Rosa McCarrey and Daisy Kirk.

Now in its 11th year, the challenge focused on the circular economy theme as part of its 30th birthday celebrations, in a bid to strengthen the shopping centre’s ongoing commitment towards a circular model.

The submissions were judged by an expert panel, including Rebecca Rickets from Glasgow Chamber of Commerce’s Circular Glasgow team and Duncan Booker from Glasgow City Council. They were joined by retailers John MacDonald from Excel Vending and Izzie Eriksen from ApparelXchange and Anne Ledgerwood, General Manager of St. Enoch Centre.

Anne Ledgerwood, General Manager of St. Enoch Centre, commented: “The quality of submissions this year have yet again been fantastic. The other judges and I are amazed at the attention to detail in each submission and I’d like to congratulate and thank every pupil who entered for their hard work and boundless creativity and to their schools for supporting them. We hope it inspires other schools to take part next year. I also wish to pay to tribute to our fantastic judging panel for their meaningful contribution.”

Alison McRae, senior director at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce which hosts Circular Glasgow, said: “A huge well done to all of the pupils involved in the competition, we’ve seen some great and inspiring ideas that have truly grasped the circular economy opportunity.

“As we work in tandem with the city’s business community, it’s really encouraging to hear from our future business leaders who from a young age have already embraced this important agenda which will be instrumental in helping to minimise climate change.

“We look forward to seeing some of the ideas from the competition come to life through our continued partnership with St. Enoch Centre. Well done to everyone who took the time to take part!”


Read more about St. Enoch Centre’s circular economy initiatives including:

Restoring prams for disadvantaged families in Glasgow

Turning coffee waste into nutrients for the centre’s plants