A BOY from Bingley with autism will see his design feature on millions of packs of chips after winning a national competition.

Charlie Conway, 10, beat more than 250 entries from across the country to have his colourful drawing featured on more than 18 million packs of Home Chips by McCain, being rolled out nationwide from this month.

McCain launched the competition for the children of families who have been helped by Family Fund to submit their own coloured in designs for the packaging of the best-selling Home Chips by McCain. Winner Charlie lives with his parents who have been supported by Family Fund over the years, providing support for Charlie’s additional needs related to autism and a brain injury.

The competition encouraged children to get creative and show their personality through their drawings, with Charlie’s unique design charming the McCain panellists with his fine attention to detail and creative flair that saw him win the top prize.

Charlie’s design saw him reimagine the current Home Chips packaging allowing his individuality to shine through with a unique image of a house, replacing the ‘O’ within the ‘Home’.

Charlie also enclosed a self-portrait which the panel loved, and which is included on the new packaging.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Charlie Conway with one of the bags of chips he designed the packet forCharlie Conway with one of the bags of chips he designed the packet for

His mum, Katie, said: “Charlie needs a really high level of care and support and lockdown has been really challenging for us at times.

"We were once told Charlie would never be able to walk or talk - but he did, and his achievements never fail to amaze us.

He was overjoyed when he saw his drawing has been chosen to appear on millions of McCain’s special packs

"As parents, we always try and focus on what he can do rather than what he can’t and show him that we believe in him.

“Family Fund has brought so much to our lives – like granting us the equipment to be able to take Charlie safely on holiday.

"This kind of support can mean that disabled children have the same opportunities as the others.

"We are so proud of Charlie and we celebrate every little achievement he makes.”

The new playful packaging supports the McCain £1m pledge that will help Family Fund achieve their goal to provide 150,000 grants and services per year to families with disabled or seriously ill children.

The grants will enable the families to purchase essential items critical to easing the strain of their day-to-day lives, from kitchen appliances such as fridges and ovens, to technology such as tablets and computers.

The items will allow the families to spend more time together, such as during mealtimes, enabling them to take time for the little moments during the immensely challenging circumstances of Covid-19.

Alongside providing a pledge, McCain is also using its platforms to drive greater awareness around Family Fund and give a voice to its work.

The partnership comes as Family Fund reveal there has been a 37 per cent rise in families raising disabled or seriously ill children seeking support during Covid-19.

A total of 73 per cent of the families it works with reporting that they have not had a day out in the last six months.

These issues are compounded by data showing that three in five of the families contacting Family Fund have seen their household costs increase as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

McCain will also be launching a national primetime advertising campaign in the coming weeks to raise a voice for Family Fund and its families which will be featured across the UK’s top channels.