Winning entry chosen for Dudley Group NHS Charity mascot!

The Dudley Group NHS Charity is getting ready to welcome its newest member to their team, their new charity mascot, Aati!

After receiving over fifty entries for the competition, the winning design of a friendly fox called Aati (which means the one who is generous in Arabic) caught the imagination of our judges. Wearing a Black Country inspired T-shirt, a chain and holding our charity flag in his paw, Aati’s friendly and fun personality shone through!

Designed by eleven-year-old, Laila Adams-Flash, who entered our competition for local children aged seven to eleven years old, was thrilled to receive the news that her creation had been chosen as the final design.

Laila said: “I feel so happy to be the winner of this competition, I love drawing characters and cartoons so when my mum told me about the competition, I knew I really wanted to take part! I can’t wait to see Aati showing others that’s its kind to give to charity”.

The competition was created through a unique partnership between the Trust charity and educational resource publishing company Twink, the opportunity has been funded by a development grant from NHS Charities Together.

Laila’s mum, Rosemarie, works for the Trust’s Dudley Rehab Service as a clinical lead occupational therapist. She saw the competition advertised on the Trust’s hub page and encouraged Laila to ​enter. 

​Laila will be visiting Twinkl HQ next month, with her mum and our charity team to bring Aati to life alongside their world-renowned design team. The character will then be transformed into a life-size mascot to entertain charity supporters for years to come. Laila is a student at the Q3 Langley Academy in Oldbury and the school feels that she is a wonderful ambassador and an asset to year 7.

Keep an eye out for when our new mascot will officially be unveiled to Laila and the public!