SPECIAL FEATURE: Blue Peter turns 60 - but how many of you still have a badge?
As Blue Peter celebrates its 60th birthday, we thought it would be fun to find out how many of you have their very own Blue Peter badge.
Since the badges were introduced to the programme in 1963, decades later the show still inspires youngsters to send in more than 100,000 letters and pictures each year.
Today, nearly 200,000 under 16s own at least one Blue Peter badge - and a number of our readers still have their childhood badges.
Besides the original badge - a blue ship on a white background, designed by TV artist the late Tony Hart, there are now a variety of badges in different colours.
Laura Hudson (29), who lives in Donington, said: “I have about seven badges! They are from when I was seven-years-old up to 14 or 15.
“I have a few competition runner-up badges, several of the white shields with blue ships and a blue shield with a silver ship too for writing in to them on many occasions.
“I was also a runner-up in one of their competitions the year they turned 40, and have a commemorative gold medallion.
“The competition runner-up badges are a white, round badge with a blue ship. I have two of the standard badges with the white background and the blue ship and with the re-designed logo with the bubble ship.”
This was the badge to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launch of the original badge in 1963, introduced in October 2003.
It is larger than the traditional badge and is a white shield with a raised ‘bubble ship’ appliqué.
“The blue shield with the silver ship - I can’t remember what I got that for. I just kept writing in all the time.
“I remember also winning a ‘maze pen’ for a ‘design a maze’ competition. The pen had a maze with a silver ball you could guide through the maze.
“I really wanted the green badge - the environmental award - and I wrote in with pictures of my herb garden.
“I lost one badge I was wearing at a play barn. I was heartbroken.
“I really wanted to be a Blue Peter presenter.”
Laura has featured previously in our papers for her love of adventure and challenges. She has cycled across Vietnam and Cambodia for charity, competed twice in TV’s Ninja Warrior UK, and most recently won the title of Miss Mermaid England and UK.
She is also a fitness and pole dancing instructor.
Laura said: “I’d still love to be a Blue Peter presenter but I’m not sure if they’d want a pole-dancing mermaid!”
“I lost one badge I was wearing at a play barn. I was heartbroken."
Kate Chapman (39), who lives in Long Sutton, still has the letter she was sent by Blue Peter when she organised a bring and buy sale at primary school.
Now a freelance journalist, she said: “Sadly, I didn’t get a badge, but for some reason I have kept the letter. I’d have been aged ten at the time.”
Her children Nancy (8) and Peter (6) both have various badges for sending in letters or pictures of their achievements.
“I’m gutted I never got a badge,” Kate said.
Nigel Burch replied to our Facebook post, which asked people if they had a badge.
“I have one,” he said. “I wrote a poem about the Blue Peter dog Petra. It would have been the early ‘60s.
“The badge came with a signed photo of Christopher Trace, Valerie Singleton and Petra!”
We also heard from Susie Lindsay in Quadring.
Her son Ryan (9), who is autistic, has got the green Blue Peter badge.
“We grew some sunflowers a few years ago,” she said.
“He would water them every day and they grew very tall so he wrote to Blue Peter to tell them about it and shared a photo with them.
“He was so excited to get the badge.”
The iconic programme marks its anniversary with a special one-hour live programme on Monday (October 16).
Current presenters Lindsey Russell and Radzi Chinyanganya will be joined by past presenters including Valerie Singleton, Peter Purves, Anthea Turner, Konnie Huq and Tim Vincent.
Diamond badge marks programme's 60th year:
There are six main Blue Peter badges.
As well as the original blue and white badge is a silver ship on a blue shield and a green badge for environmental achievements.
The ‘competition winner’s’, or orange badge (a white ship on an orange shield) is given to viewers who have been either a winner or runner-up in any of the programme’s competitions.
It replaced the original competition winners’ badge, which was a circular badge with the ship in the centre.
The purple, or ‘team player’s’ badge is a white ship on a purple shield - but was changed in 2007.
The gold badge is a gold-plated brooch in the shape of the ship logo and is the programme’s second highest award. It is given for exceptional achievement.
There are also limited edition badges and a new Blue Peter diamond badge designed by international fashion designer Henry Holland.
This was created to mark the show’s 60th anniversary and is the first time in the show’s history that the iconic shield badge shape has been replaced.
A Blue Peter badge enables the wearer to get free entry to various attractions in the UK.
You must be aged between 6-15 years to apply for a badge.
We would love to hear from any adults who have a Blue Peter badge from their childhood.
You can get in touch with us by emailing: zoe.myall@iliffepublishing.co.uk or you can write to us at: The Editor, Priory House, The Crescent, Spalding. Lincs. PE11 1AB.
