A SUPERMARKET chain’s challenge for children to Give it Some Wellie for Poole Lifeboat Station culminates today.

The competition has been held at Sainsbury’s stores across Bournemouth and Poole to raise funds for the Poole RNLI station, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

It encouraged children to design a pair of wellies using pens, stickers, paints, and anything else. They could put their design on real wellies, or draw it on paper.

There are 15 prizes up for grabs across several categories – best school entry, best individual design, best futuristic design, funniest design, and the best overall design. The winner of the last category will receive £200.

Stores in Boscombe, Castlepoint and Christchurch urged shoppers to join Stormy Stan from the RNLI by designing their wellies in-store until yesterday.

“Sadly we haven’t had any real wellies designed,” said Paul Taylor, pictured inset below, chairman of Poole and District Fundraising Branch and station mechanic, who said they had received at least 75 entries.

The difficult task of judging will take place today – the actual 150th birthday of the lifeboat station which will be marked with an open day.

the event is taking place at the station, from 10am to 4pm, and the old station at Fisherman’s Dock will be open from 12.30pm to 4pm.

Winners will be invited to the commemorative service at St James’s Church on Sunday, January 25, at 2pm, where the winners of the station’s competition to design a lifeboat will also be rewarded.