MIA WINS JACK IS BACK COMPETITION

To celebrate the opening of Parkway - Newbury’s stunning new shopping centre - on 27 October (2011) the town’s famous Jack of Newbury is returning to open Parkway in a fabulous new outfit designed by Mia Eldridge of Speenhamland Primary School – the winner of Parkway’s Jack is Back competition.

To commemorate Jack’s return, children from Speenhamland were invited to take part in the ‘Jack is back’ art competition, in which they were given the task of designing a modern day outfit for Jack to wear.  From the range of imaginative entries submitted by the students, Mia Eldridge’s creative design has been chosen as the overall winning entry that will inspire the new outfit which Jack will wear and unveil at the opening ceremony. Mia will also receive £150 to spend in a store of her choice at Parkway.

Five designs were initially shortlisted by Julian Fuller, Head of menswear at Debenhams, as potential winners. From these five, Parkway Centre Manager Neil Carter selected Mia’s outstanding design as the winning entry.

Mia’s design is a blend of old and new fashions with a luxury linen shirt complimented by a classic brown, woollen waistcoat, with matching shorts and trilby. The outfit is given an original style with a black cloak and pink silk tie.

Commenting on the winning design, Julian Fuller said, “I really love how Mia’s design gave a modern twist to historical garments.  The slimmer silhouette feels new and she has chosen a good mix of fabrics, I particularly like the brown wool suiting which gives the overall design a British look that is very on-trend.”

Parkway Centre Manager Neil Carter echoed Julian’s thoughts adding, “Although the standard of entries has been excellent, Mia’s design really stood out. The time and effort she put into her entry really shows through in her design and she is a thoroughly deserving winner. I am eagerly looking forward to Jack unveiling his new outfit on the day”.

Parkway opens in two week’s time and there will be a whole host of celebrations for the entire family, kicking off with the Jack is Back Parade at 10.30am from Market Square.

The centre has a fabulous array of top high street names and boutiques which will open their doors, including Superdry, Topshop, H&M, Lakeland, Jigsaw, Argento, Mint Velvet and Hotel Chocolat, as well as anchors Debenhams and M&S.

Ends