THE opening ceremony for the new Abergele Surgery saw two unsung heroes recognised for their contributions to the look of the venue.
Talented young artist Alice Naylor and stained glass designer Paul Jones were introduced to Assembly Health Minister Edwina Hart as onlookers admired their lasting contributions to the Gwrych Medical Centre.
Alice, 13, won a competition involving the town’s schoolchildren to create the surgery’s new logo, and Paul has delightfully designed the large stained glass window near the venue’s entrance.
The victory for Alice, who drew two hands preparing to shake through a background image of the nearby Gwrych Castle, came at the expense of her brother and fellow Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan pupil Jamie.
She said: “He really wanted to win it because he wanted to get a Nintendo DSi.”
Jamie did help his younger sister on technicalities, such as laying the design out on the screen.
Their father, Ken, 49, said: “We are really proud of her. I am not sure where she gets it from because none of us are from an art background.
“It is great how a child can win a prize like this rather than a design firm.”
Paul, a stained glass artist based in Glan Conwy, had worked on the window piece for more than 80 days, preparing each of the 12 separate panes individually and then sending them for double-glazing.
He began work on the piece, Nurture, last September. Together, the panes present the image of a woman stood on books of medical learning, with a representation of Gwrych Castle in her hair.
With the finished piece on show before him, Mr Jones revealed his pleasure at the final result.
He said: “The best thing was getting to see it all get put in at the same time and seeing it all fitted, because when you work on each window one by one, you can never tell if the width of the lead lines is going to match up, or if you’ve got the colours right.”
Colour had also been an important element in the design of Nurture.
He added: “It’s nice to just sit here and see it all, and it’s warmer and more soothing colours. I didn’t want to put anything stark or dour in there.”