Liz Roberts reports
Fathers were top of the league, beating David Beckham into second place, when children were asked to draw or paint their male hero in this year's National Childcare Week art competition run by Nursery World, the Daycare Trust and Bright Horizons Family Solutions.
The under-fives were particularly keen to portray Dad as their number one man, for playing with them, loving them and hugging them. 'My hero is my daddy because he goes to work,' said one, while another mentioned being allowed to eat 'chocolate penguin biscuits', and one sagely remarked, 'My hero is my dad because... my mum says no, my dad says yes.'
Grandfathers, brothers, family and friends also featured heavily among the nearly 700 entries received. David Beckham was the most popular footballer across all age groups, with Michael Owen as his nearest rival. Gareth Gates was top of the pops for his voice, hair and earning power. 'Without him singing I will lose my faith in music,' said one 11-year-old. Fictional superheroes Superman, Spiderman and Batman were also popular, along with boy wizard Harry Potter.
The under-fives went for TV and film characters such as Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and Aladdin, while the five-to-tens picked Sharukh Khan, Thomas Edison, Bart Simpson and Eminem, and the 11-plus group admired James Bond and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Picking the winners was a tough task for the judges Liz Roberts, editor of Nursery World, Stephen Burke and Leona Walsh from the Daycare Trust, Susan Hay of Bright Horizons Family Solutions and Denise Freedland from Peterborough Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.
Prizes of games and vouchers for the winning children and gift vouchers for their carers were due to be awarded tomorrow (Friday, 13 June) by Baroness Blackstone, minister for the arts, at the IMAX cinema on London's South Bank. The ceremony will be followed by a screening of the film 'Pulse'.
Winning entries will be displayed at the IMAX during June.
Top 12 male heroes
1 Dad
2 David Beckham
3 Friend
4 Grandfather
5 Gareth Gates
6 Spiderman
7 Superman
8 Childcarer
9 Harry Potter
10 Brother
11 Batman
12 Michael Owen