Gloucester youngsters enter Baby of the Year

By rokeeffe rory o'keeffe rory.o'keeffee@glosmedia.co.uk

PROUD parents and their bouncing babies flocked to Eastgate Shopping Centre yesterday, for the first day of The Citizen Baby of the Year competition.

Mums and dads brought their little ones to pose for pictures in the city centre arcade in the hope that their child might take the competition's top prize of £1,000.

Hayley Thompson, 29, of Abbeydale, brought her eight-month baby James..

She said: "James is the newest member of our family and me and Kris, his dad, think he's pretty cute, so we think he could win."

Photographers will be at Eastgate from 10am-5pm every day this week, including Saturday, before moving to Cheltenham's Cavendish House next week, also from Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm, in search of Gloucestershire's most beautiful baby.

Organiser Frankie Cierezsko said: "We are here to get as many pictures taken as possible. We had 700 from Gloucester last year, and 1,200 in total, so we're hoping to increase that to 900 in Gloucester and 1,500 in total this time around."

After a quiet start yesterday morning, numbers picked up by lunch time, when parents and their babies were queuing for a slot with one of the nine photographers and technical assistants.

Stuart and Louise Garwood, both 29, from Kingsway, brought their twins Ethan and Chloe, aged five months.

Stuart, a self-employed electrician, said: "We heard about it from Louise's mum and thought we'd see what it's all about. "

All the pictures will be featured in a special supplement in The Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo on November 29, from when readers will be able to vote for their favourites by post or text message.

The babies will be grouped in three age categories, 0-nine months, 10-18 months and 19-36 months, and voting will continue until December 20, when the top 20 will be featured in a second supplement. The two overall winners, one from Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean, another from Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the Cotswolds, will be chosen on January 3, and win £1,000 each.

Some parents, like Eleanor Ash, 34, of Churchdown, brought their children along for the chance to get a professional photograph of their children.

She said: "She's very cute, so she might win, but even if not, we'll have the pictures."

Angela Daley, 32, of Hatfield Road, said: "Tyrell is nine months old and it will be good because we will have some pictures to send out to the family.

"I think he should win, but the pictures will be there whether he does or not."