A penguin has been picked by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets for his official Christmas card from the town hall which has been drawn by a four-year-old.

East London Advertiser: Priyanaka Ghosh's drawing for Childrens Services director Debbie Joness Christmas card. Picture: Priyanaka GhoshPriyanaka Ghosh's drawing for Childrens Services director Debbie Joness Christmas card. Picture: Priyanaka Ghosh (Image: Priyanaka Ghosh)

Little Punam Kundu, who has just started at Harry Gosling school in Whitechapel, won this year’s Mayor of Tower Hamlets’ competition for primary schools.

She beat 300 other children, which gave mayor John Biggs a bit of a poser.

“It was difficult to pick the winner,” he said. “The standard of entries was very high.

“It’s fantastic to see so many different designs from schoolchildren. We have talented youngsters in the East End.”

East London Advertiser: Emma Ahaotu's drawing for chief executive Will Tuckley�s Christmas card. Picture: Emma AhaotuEmma Ahaotu's drawing for chief executive Will Tuckley�s Christmas card. Picture: Emma Ahaotu (Image: Emma Ahaotu)

Two runners-up also get their designs selected for Yuletide greetings from the town hall.

The design by Priyanaka Ghosh from Osmani primary in Whitechapel goes on Children’s Services director Debbie Jones’s Christmas card, while the one by 11-year-old Emma Ahaotu from Marner primary in Bromley-by-Bow features on chief executive Will Tuckley’s card.

All three get book tokens and are invited to a slap-up Christmas lunch munch at the town hall.

Punam’s penguin stood out with its bright colour scheme—although these handsome creatures are more at home in Antarctica than the North Pole where Santa lives. But then, Santa travels the globe on his Christmas Eve round trip.