When a Shrewsbury travel agency threw down the gauntlet to find the best family holiday ‘selfie’ they were overwhelmed by the hundreds of entries they received.
And one Shropshire family in particular took the art of the selfie to new heights with avid smartphone photographer and mum Claudia Baker taking more than 200 photos.
Claudia entered six photos and won the competition with a fun snap of son Ivan, 9, and daughter Beatrice, 7, lying on the sands at Aberdovey alongside a ‘sand’ character dubbed Mr Seaweed.
The photo, posted onto Instagram, won the family from Newport a £500 family holiday with travel agency Peakes Travel Elite.
“We went to the Shrewsbury Food Festival where all three children jumped into a big sandpit. I saw a sign for the ‘Sandcastle Selfie’ competition and thought ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’,” said Claudia.
“I love taking photos on my phone and got really into the competition. Wherever we went, on day trips and on holiday, I took photos. I was quite committed.
“The picture that won was taken while we were on holiday in Borth and spent a day in Aberdovey. Ivan and Beatrice were drying off on the sand after being in the sea.
“The idea to create a character in the sand just evolved, using one of the children’s life jackets for the body, goggles for eyes, seaweed for hair, a pebble for a nose and shells for a mouth. We had taken a Peakes Travel windmill with us wherever we went and we used it for a bow tie.”
“We had over 200 entries and lots of brilliant photos. The standard was very high so it was very difficult to choose,” said Claire Moore, joint proprietor at Peakes Travel Elite.
“Claudia’s photo was lots of fun. It was very quirky and very clever and the children looked like they were having a great time.”
“It wasn’t the usual type of photo. There had been a lot of thought gone into it. It really stood out,” added fellow competition judge and company founder Frances Peake.
“We wanted the competition to be as inclusive of as possible. Photos could be taken on holiday, in the garden at home or anywhere. The only criteria was that they include a child, a Peakes’ windmill and it was posted on social media with the hashtag #PeakesTravel.”
Peakes Travel Elite had launched the competition at Shropshire Kids Fest in the Quarry, Shrewsbury, in May, further promoted it during the Shrewsbury Food Festival in June and ran it right through until September.
Claudia, husband Tom and children Ivan, Beatrice and Sebastian, 3, have already booked their prize – a holiday in Devon for next summer.
Shropshire Live is regulated by 