Holiday letting agency Coast & Country Cottages was pleased to announce the winner of its 2025 children’s art competition in support of Devon Air Ambulance.

The Design 'Heli a Holiday Home' competition called on children of all ages to design a holiday home fit for a helicopter. Organisers said they were overwhelmed by the volume of entries received from across South Devon. Judges praised the standard of submissions, which made the task of selecting an overall winner challenging.

After much deliberation, Matilda Horswill was crowned the overall winner, impressing the Devon Air Ambulance panel with their imaginative and thoughtful creation. They will receive a £500 Sykes Holiday Cottages voucher to enjoy a self-catering family break in 2026.

Tracy Hepper, Corporate Partnership Manager at Devon Air Ambulance, said: “Huge thanks to everyone who took part in this summer competition by Coast & Country Cottages to design our Heli a new home! It's been a real pleasure to look through all the wonderful, creative entries, and it's really hard to find a winner. Well done Matilda, your design has everything our Heli needs to keep it safe and ready for the next mission. Thank you for your tremendous effort. My thanks also go to Coast & Country Cottages for creating this fantastic competition idea to help raise awareness of our charity.”

As part of the business’s ongoing support for Devon Air Ambulance, Owner Success Account Manager Christina Harris also took part in the ‘Heli Hike’ earlier this year. She raised an impressive £472, which will be fund-matched by the company.

Suzy Thompson Yates, Regional Owner Success Manager at Coast & Country Cottages, added: “We’d like to say a huge congratulations to all the children who entered our ‘Design Heli a Holiday Home’ competition. We’re also incredibly proud to have raised funds and awareness for such a valuable local charity, whose work makes such a difference to communities across Devon.”

For more information about Coast & Country Cottages and their community initiatives, visit www.coastandcountry.co.uk/blog