Issued April 25th 2006

STUDENT PAINTINGS CHOSEN TO ILLUSTRATE TEXACO CHILDREN’S ART COMPETITION TV CAMPAIGN

Paintings by eight young Irish students have been chosen to illustrate a 30-second television commercial to promote the Texaco Children’s Art Competition which is currently being viewed in thousands of homes throughout Ireland

Running from mid-April until end-May, the campaign is being broadcast on RTÉ 1, UTV, Network 2, TV3, Sky Ireland, TG4, MTV, Paramount and Channel 4.

The students whose works have been chosen are representative of the 30,000 young artists who submitted entries to the Competition this year.

They are Lucy Drury of Sandhill Gardens, Belfast (a student at Sullivan Upper School, Holywood), Kyle Patterson of Clooney Road, Eglinton, Co. Londonderry (a student at Limavady Grammar School), Mantas Poderys of Ashfield, Letterkenny (a student at Letterkenny Vocational School), Stephen McGibbon from Belfast (a student at St Malachy's College, Antrim Road), Claire Tobin from Turtulla, Thurles, Co. Tipperary; Claudine McGovern of Laraghcon, Lucan (a student at Scoil Mhuire Girls National School, Lucan) and Ricky Gibson (a student at Jordanstown Schools for Auditory and Visually Impaired Children in Newtownabbey).

Professor Declan McGonagle, Chair of Art and Design, University of Ulster said: "It is encouraging every year, as final Adjudicator, to see children and young people responding to this project with so much enthusiasm and creativity and to see also how they are supported by their parents and by their schools and teachers."

Declan McAndrew, Country Chairman for Texaco (Ireland) Limited said: "Ireland has some wonderful young artists and we wanted to promote this wealth of creativity as well as encouraging more people to try their hand at art.”

Now in its 52nd year, the Texaco Children's Art Competition is the longest running event in the history of art sponsorship. The results of this year’s Competition were announced last week. The presentation of prizes to all winners will take place in Dublin next month.

-ENDS-

Editors’ notes

There are approximately 280-branded service stations in Ireland and more than 3,500 across Europe. Texaco Ireland also holds an equity stake in four fuel storage facilities across the Republic. For more information, visit www.texaco.ie

Texaco’s community activities in Ireland include its long running support for Children’s Art – now in its 52nd year as well as the Texaco Sportstars Awards.

For media enquiries about the Texaco Children’s Art Competition or the Texaco Sportstars Awards, please contact Don Hall/Maeve Barry, The Hall Company on 01-6609377, mobile 087-2552699, fax 01-6609742

For any other media enquiries about Texaco (Ireland) Limited, contact Daniel Schraibman on 0044 207 719 4459 or email danielschraibman@chevrontexaco.com