Calisen and Wigan Pride Celebrate Young Artists Behind This Year’s Winning Design

Wigan Pride is almost here, and the excitement in the borough is increasing. Recently, we were proud to join the Mayor of Wigan, Anne Collins, at a special Pride Mayoral reception celebrating one of Wigan Pride’s latest community initiatives: the Wigan Pride T-shirt competition for local schools.

Young people from across the borough were invited to submit ideas for the t-shirt that captured the spirit of Wigan Pride: celebrating difference and diversity, being positive, welcoming everyone, being kind, and encouraging everyone to believe in themselves and to be proud of who they are.

The response was incredible, with more than 250 children taking part, which is phenomenal. As headline sponsors of Wigan Pride, we were invited to judge and decide the winner from the shortlist. Choosing a winner from so many thoughtful and creative designs was a challenge, with every entry sharing a powerful message about belonging and acceptance.

Our CEO, Catherine O'Kelly, Colleague Experience Director, Thomas Huscroft, and Progress Network Chairs, Stuart Mather and Marina Diaz Valenzuela, joined Mayor Anne Collins at the Mayor's Reception to celebrate the winner and runners-up. The event recognised their outstanding achievements and offered the opportunity to meet the mayor in person. Reflecting on the reception,

Catherine said: “At Calisen, we’re incredibly proud to be part of Wigan Pride. It’s such an important event for the community and brings people together. Judging this competition was incredibly hard as there was an amazing number of entries, and the quality of the work by all the children was fantastic. The winning entries stood out because of their creative designs and meaningful messages that came together in just the right way to celebrate Pride.”

The winning design came from nine-year-old Riley of Leigh St Mary's Primary School. This design carefully and thoughtfully wove hope, equality, and inclusion through a jigsaw puzzle, concluding with the message ‘together we make the puzzle’. It's a reminder that creating inclusive communities starts with conversations, understanding and acceptance from an early age.

Here’s what Riley shared about her win: “When I walked into class, my teacher said, ‘Well done, you’ve won’, and when I realised I’d won the Wigan Pride T-Shirt competition, I was really excited because I knew I would be meeting the Mayor. Not everyone feels included in some places, so the messages on my T-Shirt design are about being nice, loving yourself and being you.”

Supporting Wigan Pride is about more than sponsoring an event. It's about helping to create visible, inclusive spaces where everyone feels valued, respected and able to be themselves. Through initiatives like this, we're proud to support our local communities, celebrate diversity and encourage allyship both within and beyond Calisen.

Follow the social media channels www.facebook.com/officialWiganPride and www.intagram.com/WiganPride for the latest information on the event.