YOUNGSTERS have been inspired by an initiative urging them to join the fight against litter in Dorchester.

Communities Living Sustainably in Dorset and the Dorchester Stop the Drop anti-litter group have teamed up to run a poster competition for schoolchildren in the county town.

Children have been challenged with designing a poster with a ‘Don’t Be A Litter Monster’ message and more than 90 entries have been submitted.

Eco schools officer for Dorset Alison Jay has been collecting all the entries and had the tough task of whittling them down to a final three.

She has enlisted the help of Candida Baker, programme co-ordinator for Communities Living Sustainably in Dorset, Dorchester Town Councillor Tess James and Stop the Drop campaigners Bob Kerr and Felicity McLaren to help with the process.

The 93 entries will now be judged on a range of criteria including originality, visual impact and relevance to Dorchester. Alison said: “With so many entries it was extremely difficult making the final decisions and it took the judges a good many hours.”

The top three entries will now be informed of their success and will be invited to an awards ceremony at the Town Hall in Dorchester’s Corn Exchange on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 5.

They will also get the chance to work with professionals from local firm Epic Creative Print to see printed versions of their designs created.

Once printed, the posters will be distributed to shops and offices in the Dorchester BID (Business Improvement District) area and displayed in windows throughout the town.

Every one of the 93 posters will go on public display though after Brewery Square agreed to show them on its big screen overlooking the square for a week from March 5 to mark Climate Change Week.

Alison said: “Every competitor should look out for their poster on the big screen.”