New Yorker Ben de Lisi, who is renowned for his red carpet gowns worn by celebrities such as Kate Winslet, will be scrutinising the talents of youngsters taking part in a competition orchestrated by a Harrogate-based property company.

Avenir Properties, which recently acquired the former Littlemoor School site in Rawdon, is asking the children to put their design capabilities to the test by drawing houses, gardens, eco-friendly homes and luxurious bedrooms.
Ben - who is the creative talent behind the apartments and town houses being built on the old school site - will be the main judge.

The 12 winning designs are to be turned into a charity calendar and will also be used to decorate the hoardings around the construction site. Ben said: "I'm flattered to have been asked to judge this competition and I will be looking for something unusual and inspiring, where imagination really jumps off the page.
"I'm excited to see how school children interpret their ideas through design, but I'm not looking forward to decision time. I'm sure it's going to be a very tough job picking the winners."

 Avenir Properties sales manager Amanda Brayshaw said: "To make the competition fair, there will be four different categories for different age groups, with three winners from each receiving prizes. Littlemoor School head Shelagh Henderson said: "We have built up an excellent relationship with Avenir Properties. Having an international fashion designer judge the childrens' work is just thrilling for them."