Schoolboy's poster with design award

A WARRINGTON schoolboy’s poster has won a borough-wide competition aimed at helping young women understand the importance of protecting themselves from cervical cancer.
He is Joseph Clutton, a pupil at Green Lane School, Padgate and, as winner, he spent a day with a graphic design team to see his work transformed into a real life poster.
NHS Warrington and Warrington Community Services Unit asked the town’s secondary school children to help spread an important message about the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination by designing posters to encourage young women to consider having the vaccine to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer later in life.
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus of which there are various sub-types, a small number of which have been shown to be very high-risk and strongly linked to cancer. The HPV vaccine offers 99 per cent effective protection.
Joseph’s winning poster will be displayed in various locations throughout the year, as part of the campaign by the local NHS to reduce the numbers of young women in Warrington who may be at risk from cervical cancer.
Second and third prizes went to Charlotte McFadden and Rory Hutton from Penketh High and Green Lane Schools.
Jean Sampson, head of Children’s Nursing and Public Health Care for Warrington Community Service Unit said “We’re really delighted with the response we’ve had from local schools. There were some fantastic entries. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under 35 with 500,000 new cases and 270,000 deaths worldwide every year and its vital young people understand the importance of protecting themselves.”
Dr Marioth Manche, deputy director of Public Health and Infection Control for Warrington said: “Last year we were commended by the Health Protection Agency for our efforts in administering the vaccine to young women and it’s really important that we continue to reach as many as possible, to reduce their risk of developing cancer of the cervix as they get older”.