PRIMARY school classrooms across Limerick are being invited to work together in a competition to co-produce a logo for the health service their future selves will use.
The logo is for the future brand of the Limerick Health Equity Region (LHER), a multi-agency vision that aims to tackle health inequalities and poverty in Limerick.
The LHER is co-sponsored by the Mayor John Moran and HSE Mid West Regional Executive Officer Sandra Broderick.
An oversight group made up of more than a dozen agencies and community leaders was set up in May 2025 and is committed to delivering a fairer and healthier Limerick.
This vision can be achieved, a spokesperson said, by focusing on the social determinants of health, which are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, and live. Examples include housing, employment, and education. This approach is recognised by the World Health Organization.
The LHER will first focus on tackling child poverty in Limerick City North and South (including Limerick City Centre), following the principle of giving every child the best start in life.
Pupils are now working together to create a logo and brand that will symbolise what a ‘Fair and Healthy Limerick’ looks like. The winning logo will be professionally reproduced by a graphic designer at the Limerick School of Art and Design.
A working group has been set up to oversee this special project, comprising membership from OSCAILT, TUS Limerick School of Art and Design, the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, Local Creative Youth Partnership, and HSE Public Health.
Dr Mai Mannix, LHER oversight group chairperson and Regional Director of Public Health, welcomed the initiative, saying: “This marks the first chapter of this ambitious vision to tackle health inequalities and child poverty, and putting children at the front and centre of every decision we make as a community.”
“The children who create this brand will have learned a lot about what a healthier community should look like, which is crucial as we will continue to engage with children and young people to shape our co-created vision.”
Project co-lead Denis Barry, principal of CBS Primary School in Limerick City and OSCAILT chairperson, said: “As the principal of an incredible school that is serving a community affected by disadvantage, it is an honour to lead this project and see children so creatively engaged in such an important topic that affects everyone.”
Mayor Moran will announce the winner of the logo competition in June.