A 12-year-old from Wakefield has won SPAR North of England’s competition designing an Egg Mayonnaise sandwich pack.

Esme Jones’ design impressed a judging panel for its fun take on the ingredients of the popular Egg Mayonnaise sandwich which is one of SPAR North of England’s bestselling varieties.

Esme, who was 11 at the time of submitting her design, included Marie Curie’s signature yellow into her entry as well as the wording ‘best sandwich ever’ as it is her favourite sandwich filling.

During the six months Esme’s design is on the pack, every SPAR Egg Mayonnaise sandwich sold in a SPAR store owned or serviced by James Hall & Co. Ltd in the North of England will contribute 5p to Marie Curie.

The five pence donation is highlighted on the front of the sandwich pack and is an increase on the regular one penny per sale pledge that exists across the SPAR range of sandwiches and wraps throughout the year.

The introduction of Esme’s pack design comes at the same time as a refresh of the SPAR North of England sandwich range manufactured by the Great Northern Sandwich Company, part of the James Hall & Co. Ltd Group of Companies.

New additions include a SPAR Tuna Crunch Roll and a Smoked Ham and Egg Roll, as well as SPAR Peri Peri Chicken, Fajita Chicken, Hot and Spicy Cheese, and Tuna Wraps.

There is also a new ‘SPAR Simply’ range that features Three Cheese, Ham, Tuna and Corn, Egg and Tomato, and Cheese and Pickle fillings price marked at £2.10.

All sandwiches highlight the Marie Curie 1p charity donation on the packaging and are part of the revamped SPAR meal deal which is £3.75 or £4.25 depending on product make-up. The meal deal now includes confectionery too.

Esme, who also won a BMX scooter for her design achievement, said: “My dad brought the sandwich pack template home for me from our local SPAR as I really enjoy anything that involves art and creativity.

“I spent a while on the design thinking about it, and then tried to add a bit more yellow to it for Marie Curie before I entered it. I’m so happy and excited to win the competition and see my design on the pack on the shelf. It looks amazing!”

James Goldsborough, Esme’s dad, said: “We had completely forgotten about the competition after entering as I don’t think you ever believe you will end up as the winner. When we were contacted about it, I was completely surprised but delighted for Esme. We are really proud of her.

“All the family are now buying SPAR Egg Mayonnaise sandwiches! The design has been faithfully recreated into the real thing and the finished product looks fantastic. Even the lettering is identical. I think we will call it the Esme font!”

In February this year, James Hall & Co. Ltd’s Great Northern Sandwich Company manufactured its 75 millionth SPAR sandwich since it began production in 2009.

Another milestone was reached in March when James Hall & Co. Ltd’s 1p charity sandwich sale pledge reached £750,000 since its inception in October 2011, with Marie Curie being the charity benefiting from it since November 2016.

Fiona Drummond, Company Stores Director at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “We have been blown away by the creativity and imagination of our young SPAR customers submitting their sandwich designs to make an impact for Marie Curie and celebrate the national partnership with SPAR.

“We really felt Esme’s design is a great take on the Egg Mayonnaise sandwich, one of our most popular lines, while incorporating Marie Curie’s yellow. It’s an eyecatcher and we hope customers buy this classic variety in even greater numbers, especially with the increased charity contribution.”

Imogen Duffin, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Marie Curie, said: “This competition has been such a fun and unique way to celebrate our partnership, and I want to congratulate Esme for her fantastic design. I hope she enjoys seeing her creation come to life on the shelves of SPAR stores across the North of England.

“A big thank you to SPAR and James Hall & Co. Ltd for their continued support of Marie Curie. The money raised from sandwich sales will go directly towards giving people at the end of life, and their loved ones, the care and support they deserve.”

James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.

For more information about James Hall & Co. Ltd, please visit www.jameshall.co.uk.