Creative pupils from Oakfield Primary School in Ryde have been celebrated at County Hall after winning a flag design competition as part of this year’s PEACH Games.
The theme of the 2025 PEACH Games was the Island Games, and each participating school was allocated a different island to represent and asked to design a flag.
Oakfield Primary was given St Helena, and their pupils rose to the challenge by designing a colourful and meaningful flag that captured the spirit of both the Island and the Games.
The flags were judged by Isle of Wight Council chairman, Councillor Ian Dore, alongside Kev Winchombe and Ben Gard, chairman and secretary of the Isle of Wight Island Games Association. After careful consideration, the judges selected Oakfield’s St Helena flag as the overall winner.
Councillor Dore, clearly impressed, cheekily asked if he could have the flag for the chair’s office to brighten it up and bring in a splash of colour.
The pupils happily agreed, and to mark their achievement, three representatives — Jessica, Neo and Tilly — were invited to County Hall in Newport, where they formally presented the winning flag to Councillor Dore.
During their visit, the children toured the council chamber, learned about how the council works, and even got to wear the chairman’s ceremonial chain and bang the gavel.
Councillor Dore was full of praise for the pupils and their design:
“The flag is stunning in my eyes, full of colour, energy and meaning. Their pride in their work was infectious, and it’s clear they put a lot of thought into the design, as it captures the spirit of the PEACH Games perfectly.
“It was a real pleasure to meet the pupils, hear their ideas and have a bit of fun in the chamber. They also had a quick blast at being chair, with some overzealous gavel handling thrown in for good measure.
“I’m delighted to say the winning flag will now take pride of place on the wall of the chair’s office, a daily reminder of the creativity and enthusiasm of our Island’s young people.”
Hannah Doyle, deputy headteacher at Oakfield Primary School, said:
“We are always proud to take part in the PEACH games alongside so many other Island schools.
“It was a privilege for us to visit Councillor Dore and hear all about his work as chairman.”
The PEACH Games, held at West Wight Sports Centre, brought together more than 320 primary school children and 80 secondary sports leaders.
Organised by the Isle of Wight Public Health team in collaboration with the School Games Organisers,, the event promotes physical activity, inclusion, and leadership through fun and engaging activities.
Great initiative, every village on the island should have its own flag. Why not an island wide competition, each village designing its own flag?