Brian Lawrie, Carolyn Harvey, Heather Allan, Suzie Mackie and Lesley McCririe
Three pupils from South Ayrshire schools have scooped HMV music voucher prizes after designing posters highlighting the risks of eating too much saturated fat.
The competition was organised by South Ayrshire Council, as part of a national campaign by the Food Standards Agency, promoting a range of positive and practical steps people can take to improve their health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Almost 250 high class entries were received from second year pupils and the overall winner was Heather Allan from Girvan Academy. Second prize went to Suzie Mackie of Prestwick Academy and third to Carolyn Harvey of Belmont Academy.
Councillor Peter Convery, Portfolio Holder for Sustainability and the Environment said: "Congratulations to every pupil who took the time to submit an entry to this very important campaign and showed us that young people have an excellent understanding of the risks of saturated fat on their health.
"A diet high in saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels in the blood, which can lead to heart attacks, angina, strokes, and cardiovascular disease - the cause of a third of all of premature deaths in this country."
Presenting the prizes to the pupils, Brian Lawrie, South Ayrshire Council's Environmental Health Team Leader said: "This campaign clearly links the dangers of eating saturated fat to heart disease. It's important, especially for young people, that they make that connection, because heart disease is the UK's number one killer – one in three of us will die as a result.
"There are simple ways to cut down the amount of saturated fat we eat and protect our health. Eating leaner meat and a bit less cheese will help, as will switching to lower-fat milks and healthier snacks as well as cutting down on cakes and biscuits."
Councillor Convery concluded: "By focusing on easy, practical changes in our diet, the campaign shows how simple it is to reduce the amount of saturated fat we eat.
"It's important we all become more aware of the small steps we can take, which can make a real difference to our own and, importantly, our families' risk of heart disease.
"The second year pupils who entered this competition have all got the message and, in my book, that makes them all winners in this worthwhile campaign."