HUNDREDS of school children from across the Black Country are celebrating National Stationery Week thanks to a partnership of a Kingswinford-based business and the Black Country Living Museum.

The museum teamed up with Maped Helix to give all schools visiting the popular attraction this week a bundle of stationery equipment to promote the art of handwriting amongst youngsters.

Mel Weatherly, head of learning at Black Country Living Museum, said: “We’re excited to work with Maped Helix again, in conjunction with National Stationery Week.

“The written word has continued importance in this increasingly technological age; we have to encourage children in the Black Country to find their voices through the written word.

“We’d like to thank Maped Helix for their fantastic range of stationery they’ve selected to give to children this year.”

The two businesses have a number of years of Black Country history between them, as the Kingswinford stationery firm has been synonymous with the stationery world for 129 years, while the museum – a firm favourite with schools as a place of great educational value – covers life throughout the last 300 years.

Lianne Fletcher, marketing manager at Maped Helix, said: “Our history is ingrained in the West Midlands and we feel strongly about our heritage in the region.

“It only seemed appropriate for ourselves and Black Country Living Museum to celebrate this history together.

“We always look for fresh new ways to engage and collaborate with schools and communities through learning experiences.

“This partnership with such a popular attraction was the perfect opportunity to do just that and help to educate children in our area.”

Maped Helix is also urging youngsters between the ages of six and sixteen to get creative and design a unique pencil case to celebrate National Stationery Week.

Lianne added: “We want children to empty their pencil cases and design a new one to store their treasured stationery and colouring items.

“Helix have a long history of breaking the mould with stylish, fashionable and unique pencil cases. We now want children to design their own pencil case and I’m sure we’ll see some absolutely fabulous ideas.”

Entries into the competition, which runs until Sunday (May 1), can be submitted via email to chat@smallmanmedia.com