Norbar Torque Tools has announced the winners of an art competition which gave local schools the opportunity to make a splash on the walls of its new factory, on Wildmere Industrial Estate, Banbury.

To kick-start the competition, Norbar provided local schools with 8ft x 4ft sheets of MDF and suggested children try to think outside the box to create bright, vibrant and peaceful designs. The schools that rose to the challenge included Warriner, Chipping Norton, Bloxham Primary, Wroxton Primary, Dashwood, Bishop Carpenter and The Grange.

Norbar employees voted for their favourite masterpiece and when the numbers were counted, it was Warriner, Bishop Carpenter and Dashwood School that had the creative cutting edge. Each winning school received a cheque from Norbar.

Neill Brodey, Managing Director at Norbar Torque Tools, said:

“The standard of entries has been very high and I know it’s been a tough choice for all our staff who are now happy that they’ll be working in such a colourful environment.

This project demonstrates something we know and too often ignore. Children have fantastic creativity and our challenge as educators and employers is to nurture that creativity rather than killing it. It’s crucial to expose them to careers such as engineering that encourage the honing of creativity – it’s been a successful competition with a clear and important message behind it too”

Norbar plans to invite the winning schools back next year to see the art in pride of place at the factory, and a similar competition will also be held next year.