A PRIZE-winning poster highlighting the importance of infection control will adorn the walls of AFC Bournemouth’s Goldsands Stadium next season.

Nuffield Health Hospital, which is based on Lansdowne Road, teamed up with Cherries to provide schools in the area with a series of free workshops and interactive football games informing youngsters how to stop germs and bacteria spreading.

As part of that project the children who participated in the ‘Bug Busters’ classes designed posters – and after beating more than 100 competitors, the winner has been announced as eight-year-old Keeley Twinning.

The Mudeford Junior School pupil’s design features an authoritative looking Cherry Bear, the club’s mascot, holding aloft a red card with the caption ‘Cherry Bear says keep it clean. Wash your hands!’

Along with the two runners-up – Benjamin Sawdon, eight, and Amy Agg Jones, seven – Keeley came to the newly promoted Cherries’ home ground to be presented with her prize by player ambassador for Bug Busters Simon Francis.

Simon said: “Our congratulations to Keeley for showing germs the red card by designing the winning Bug Busters poster We want to thank all the school children for taking on board the lessons from our infection prevention sessions by producing these posters - we were very impressed by the standard of all the posters we received.”

As the winner Keeley’s prize includes tickets to a game next season and her poster will feature inside the stadium reminding fans of the importance of personal hygiene in public places.

David McNair, Nuffield Health Hospital's director, said: “It was no easy feat picking the winning poster as we were inundated with entries from school children across Dorset.

"Throughout the judging process Keeley’s poster really stood out as she managed to take the key hygiene messages from our Bug Busters sessions and combine them with a fun AFC Bournemouth design. Mudeford Junior School should be very proud to have produced all three winners. “

Schools interested in finding out more about the Bug Busters sessions are invited to contact Steve Cuss at AFC Bournemouth on 01202 726342, or to contact the hospital’s customer services team on 01202 702830.