To celebrate World Children’s Day, St Giles Hotels, the hotels’ foundation, ‘Hotels with Heart’, and renowned illustrator Eleanor Tomlinson visited Gateway Academy, a primary school located in Westminster, for an art competition to support children’s charity Coram.
Eleanor, from East Yorkshire, whose sketch of the Queen and Paddington Bear went viral in 2022, has since built a following with her illustrations of animals and the countryside. Eleanor visited a Year 4 class of children aged between eight and nine years to give them an illustration masterclass, followed by a short Q&A with the artist. The children were asked to draw something with the theme ‘What fills your heart with love’, a nod to the hotel’s own foundation Hotels with Heart, which supports and mentors children and young people in alignment with Coram’s work.
The children created their own piece of artwork which was be judged by Eleanor, St Giles Hotels and Coram. The three winning pieces of art will be framed and exhibited in St Giles London Hotel’s Signature rooms for guests to enjoy and donate via a QR code to support Coram, the first and long serving children’s charity in the UK (1739) which champions the rights and wellbeing of children.
The children, whose artwork was chosen to be exhibited in the hotel, received bespoke prizes from Eleanor Tomlinson. First prize (an original Eleanor Tomlinson artwork) went to Ayah, second prize (a limited edition print by Eleanor) went to Ziad and third prize (an art and illustration kit) went to David.
Commenting on the partnership, Eleanor says,
‘‘I was thrilled to be asked to be involved in this wonderful artistic project to raise money for Coram on World Children’s Day. Art has been such an instrumental part of my life, and I know how important it can be to help young people, the art they created is absolutely fantastic”.
Dr Carol Homden, CEO of Coram, said:
“We are most grateful to St Giles Hotels, their guests and to Eleanor for all their support through this imaginative initiative, enabling us to reach more children through our wellbeing education in schools, creating change that will last a lifetime. Well done to all the children for their wonderful creations and congratulations to our winners.”
CEO of St Giles Hotels, Abigail Tan comments,
“Our partnership with Children’s Charity Coram holds a special place in our hearts at St Giles Hotels. We believe deeply in the power of community and giving back, and supporting Coram’s mission to transform children’s lives reflects our commitment to creating hope and opportunities for young people.”
“We are thrilled to have Eleanor Tomlinson join us for World Children’s Day and look forward to seeing the incredible talent of the young artists in the competition. Their winning artworks will bring extra warmth to our Signature rooms at St Giles London Hotel, where our guests can also learn more about this inspiring cause and join us in making a difference.”
St Giles Hotels is partnering with Coram for three years, pledging £25,500 for the charity through Hotels with Heart, and raising additional funds via a host of activities including a charity abseil on 4th October which raised £1,219. Funds raised through the partnership support the work of Coram Life Education, the leading charity provider of Personal, Social, Economic and Health education in primary schools, enabling thousands of children to acquire the life skills they need to thrive.
As part of an ongoing Christmas campaign, through Hotels with Heart, St Giles Hotels will be donating £1 for every room of which there are 730 (guests will be invited to match it) via a QR code in the rooms and at Reception.
