KEEPING Newport station in tip-top condition is the theme behind a new poster competition.

Newport Business Association has launched its summer anti-litter poster campaign to raise awareness and encourage commuters and secondary school students to keep the station free of litter.

NBA founder Jeremy Rose said that the ‘A tidy station for our nation’ competition is to create the best anti-litter campaign poster to be used at the station.

Mr Rose said: “Newport Business Association would like to encourage all members of our community to keep our local environment clean, tidy and litter free.

“To this end we would like to create and develop a series of anti-litter posters for Newport railway station.

“We want to encourage everyone, commuters, students and residents using Newport to keep our station clean, reduce litter, and so preserve our wonderful station environment.”

The posters will be printed and displayed at the station, with the winner receiving �50 Saffron Screen cinema tickets, free family railway tickets [two adult and two children] from Newport to Cambridge, and receive a signed, first imprint of the winning campaign poster.

Newport Free Grammar School students have already taken positive steps to help reduce litter in the community and help the NBA Newport station initiative by collecting litter and supporting the campaign.

Year nine students have already started helping out by clearing rubbish, planting bulbs and plants to encourage bees and butterflies into the station habitat.

Assistant headteacher Mary Wilcox said: “As a large number of the students use Newport station, it seems only right that we, as a school, contribute to this project.

“We are part of the local community and it will be good for our students to be able to see the positive impact that they have made.”

• The competition is open to all ages. Either draw, paint, photograph or develop a mosaic that encourages putting litter in a bin, which are provided at the station. The poster should depict Newport station, past, present or future, and should clearly state that litter belongs in a bin to reinforce the anti-litter campaign.

• Entries must be completed and sent by post or e-mailed to Newport Business Association by 10am on September 25. Entries will be judged by a body of local professionals and NBA members.

• Sent entries to: Jeremy Rose, Newport Business Association, The Office, Brown House, The High Street, Newport, Essex CB11 3QY or nba@c-lutions.co.uk

• Physical artwork will only be returned after judging if accompanied by a self-addressed envelope.