By Simon Rothstein
A BUDDING young Jewish artist from Buckhurst Hill has won two competitions for his drawing skills.
Noah Keller’s first win came in a contest held by Wohl Ilford Jewish School (WIJPS) in a bid to stop parents’ cars polluting the environment.
The competition came about after student Sammy Carter began to worry about the impact of parents leaving their cars running during drop off and pick up.
Sammy argued the exhaust fumes were polluting the car park and environment, while also exacerbating the health problems of those with asthma or compromised breathing.
The school listened to his views, and agreed that running a poster competition to shine a light on the problem and galvanise change would be the best way forward.
Noah, who is in year 5 at WIJPS, and Brooke Strong, in year 6, were chosen as the winners and both of their posters have been made into banners for the car park to remind motorists to turn off their engines when waiting in their cars.
His second win was in a national art competition held by travel platform Dog Furiendly and pet healthcare specialists Bob Martin.
Hundreds of children across the UK submitted drawings or paintings prompted by the question ‘what will dogs look like in 130 years’ time?’
Nine-year-old Noah scooped first place in the 5-11 year olds category with his art piece Lightning the Robo Dog.
Noah, a member of Cranbrook United Synagogue, said: “My dog is half robot. He is an inventor and his name is Lightning. He has x-ray vision and a laser eye. Also, he has a magnificent helmet that translates his barks into English and allows him to time-travel.”
The artwork has now been re-mastered and printed onto a range of products to raise funds for Pets As Therapy and their Read2Dogs scheme. The Read2Dogs scheme helps around 6,000 children each year who find reading difficult or stressful.
The winning designs and products from the competition – held to coincide with Bob Martin’s 130 year anniversary – can be found at www.dogfuriendly.com/barktothefuture.
Mum Belinda Keller said: “We are all so proud of Noah. He has put so much effort into these competitions and it’s lovely to have seen it rewarded.”
