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Local school competition brings community creativity to the market this Mother’s Day
Entries were judged by celebrated illustrator Quentin Blake, known for his distinctive drawings in books such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Competition formed part of the market’s winning ‘Best Market Attraction 2026’ award entry
Two young artists from Virginia Primary School will see their artwork featured at the famous Columbia Road Flower Market after winning a school design competition organised by Tower Hamlets Council.
The Love Columbia Road School Design Competition invited local schoolchildren to create artwork that would be printed on the paper used by traders to wrap bouquets sold at the market on Mother’s Day. The initiative was organised by the council’s Markets team to celebrate the borough’s vibrant market spaces and support the Love Tower Hamlets campaign.
The competition winner is Rachel Pereira, aged 11, with Zaki Uddin, aged 10, named runner-up. Both are Year 6 pupils at Virginia Primary School.
Rachel received a certificate, a plant, and a £30 voucher to buy a bouquet from one of the market’s long-serving traders. Her design will now be used on flower wraps across the market. Zaki also received a certificate and a plant wrapped in his own design, which will also be used by traders to wrap bouquets.
Entries were judged by celebrated illustrator Quentin Blake, known for his distinctive drawings in iconic books such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. As part of his support for the competition, Blake also donated five books from his personal library, all illustrated by him, to the school’s library.
The winning designs will be launched at Columbia Road Flower Market on Mother’s Day, when traders will begin using the specially printed wraps.
Quentin Blake, world-famous illustrator and competition judge, said:
“It was difficult to choose between the last four pictures because they all had interesting things of their own. However, I managed to decide, and the winning picture is by Rachel Pereria. This was a very beautiful picture – strong as well as a wonderful decoration. Second was Zaki Uddin, this was a very strong and handsome portrait of a rose, and not only that, but it had yellow spots that took it to the edges of the page.
“It was a real pleasure to look at these works and I hope all the artists will continue to do lots more!”
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:
“In Tower Hamlets we don’t just have the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London – we have many crown jewels across our borough, and our award-winning Columbia Road Flower Market is absolutely one of them. This competition is a wonderful way to bring local young people into our historic market traditions in the East End.
“Seeing children’s creativity celebrated – and judged by the legendary illustrator Quentin Blake – makes this Mother’s Day at Columbia Road Flower Market even more special, bringing our community together through art, culture and the shared spaces created by our iconic markets.”
Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said:
“Our markets are a huge part of what makes Tower Hamlets so special, and it’s fantastic to see young people getting involved in celebrating them through their creativity. Rachel and Zaki should be very proud of their designs, which will now be seen by thousands of visitors at Columbia Road Flower Market.
“This competition is a lovely way of bringing together local schools, traders and the wider community. I encourage everyone to visit the market this Mother’s Day, support our traders, and look out for the winning artwork wrapping bouquets across the market.”
The competition was designed to strengthen links between the market and nearby schools while encouraging creativity among young people. It also formed part of a wider effort to celebrate Tower Hamlets’ markets and support a campaign for Columbia Road to be recognised nationally.
The market was recently recognised as Best Market Attraction 2026 at the Great British Markets Awards, organised by the National Association of British Market Authorities. Columbia Road was the only London retail market to receive a national award this year, having also won Best Small Outdoor Market at the awards in 2025.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit Columbia Road Flower Market on Mother’s Day to see the winning designs in action and support the young artists whose work will be wrapping bouquets across the market.
