A CHEERY Christmas card designed by a five-year-old boy has been sent to hundreds of homes.

Home Housing Association, based in Maple Avenue, in Durham, ran a competition asking children at the city's Laurel Avenue Community Primary School to design a card.

Damon Bowes' reindeer design was picked as the overall winner and printed as Home Housing Association's official Christmas card.

The winner was chosen by the committee of Sherburn Road Residents' Association, and the work of five other pupils from each year group was also selected to become cards.

Yesterday, they were given commemorative posters of their designs by the housing association's estate manager, Carolyn Wood.

She said: "The panel were amazed by Damon's picture at first sight. It captured Christmas through a child's eye, and was so cheerful and light-hearted."

Home Housing Association is planning to take the five winners on a tour of the printing company early next year to show the children how the cards were made.