Illustrators are raising an objection with the UK government – and a smile among refugee children – with a colouring book for young migrants
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick sparked outrage in July when he ordered the removal of Mickey Mouse and Jungle Book mural artwork at a centre for unaccompanied children.
So Fleet Street cartoonist Guy Venables, whose work appears in the likes of Metro, Private Eye and the Spectator, rallied colleagues from The Professional Cartoonists Organisation to devise a well-aimed response.
Community campaign group 38 Degrees raised funds for printing and distribution and the result is a 62-page colouring book: Welcome to Britain, which will be given free to children newly arriving in the UK.
Contributors include Terry Gilliam, Quentin Blake and stalwarts from the likes of Viz and the Beano. Venables told Positive News that a second, larger book was in the works for sale at Christmas, with the proceeds going to refugee charities.
“I’ve always found that if you act with kindness in these situations, only good will come out of it,” he said. “If kids grow up here, and the first thing that happens to them is positive, then there’s definitely some good to be had.”
Image: Henny Beaumont/PCO
