Kent school children have been helping to fill empty houses – with colour in a drawing competition organised by No Use Empty, the campaign to raise awareness of the problem of empty housing in Kent and help bring them back into use.
The campaign had an exhibition stand at the recent Kent Show, and organisers invited school children attending the show to take part in a competition to colour-in pictures of empty houses. The competition attracted over 100 children who took part over the three days of the show.
The winner of the competition, whose colouring was judged on imagination and style, was 11 year old Kerry Davis from Cranbrook. First prize was a state of the art digital camera.
Roger Gough, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Supporting Independence at Kent County Council and spokesperson for the No Use Empty campaign said,
“A big congratulations to Kerry! – Its so great to see the children enjoying themselves while at the same turn learning about a very serious issue. The No Use Empty campaign has been working tirelessly to tackle the problem of empty properties, which often attract vandalism and squatters and are slowing down the regeneration process in many towns across Kent. This was a message that our team was able to explain to the children and their parents during the Kent Show.”
Empty property officers at the four District Councils are working hard to ensure help and advice is available to property owners across Kent. If you would like to discuss this further please call the No Use Empty hotline 08458 247605.