Cabinet minister, Jim Murphy visits Dalziel High

Jan 28 2010 by Chris Clements, Hamilton Advertiser

A CABINET Minister at Westminister visited a Motherwell high school this week to meet with two contest-winning pupils.

Jim Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, was at Dalziel High on Monday to meet the pair who had won a competition to design a Robert Burns greeting card.

The competition was the brain child of Sharon Low, co-owner of Robert Burns Gifts company and a former pupil at the school.

The contest was open to Higher Art pupils, many of whom are preparing their portfolios in order to apply to art schools.

After meeting the students and seeing the winning entries, Mr Murphy said: “The designs are fantastic and capture the mood of the poem ‘To A Mouse’.

“Seeing the imagery used, it is clear to see how it was impossible to find one overall winner and why the judges settled on two winners.

“The fact these cards will be on sale across Scotland is a testament to the standard of the designs.”

Mr Murphy said that he thoroughly enjoyed his visit to the school.

He added: “The teachers are enthusiastic about their subjects and this is reflected in the work of its pupils, and it is great to see that one of its former pupils has come back and set up this competition through her company.”

After meeting the winners, Mr Murphy was given a tour of the school by the head teacher Brian Miller and then presented the first prize certificates to the winning pupils in the assembly hall.

Sharon Low’s company Robert Burns Gifts was created to enable Scottish designed and manufactured Robert Burns gift merchandise to find a way in to the market place.