CHILDREN across Hampshire have been proving that a picture really can say a thousand words when it comes to how much they love their dear old dads.

Competition bosses at the Daily Echo have been bowled over with just what a creative bunch our younger readers are.

Don't despair if your talented tot hasn't entered our Father's Day competition yet there is still time to get your Draw Your Dad entries in.

Children aged up to ten years have until Friday to show the world that they are their dad's number one fan.

There are two categories for youngsters hoping to make this Father's Day extra special six years and under and seven to ten years.

Entries so far include a Saints inspired masterpiece by three-year-old Kai of Woolston and a drawing of Eastleigh ten-year-old Evangeline Rogerson's dad mid-wave.

Top prizes for each group include £100 of vouchers to spend at The Entertainer, Disney Store or Hawkin's Bazaar at Mall Marlands in Southampton, and a family ticket to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. Three runners-up in both categories will win vouchers worth £50.

All entries will be published in the Daily Echo, with the winners announced the day before Father's Day on Saturday, June 17.

A selection of entries will be on display at The Mall Marlands shopping centre in Southampton.

Entries must be submitted, portrait sized and in colour. See page six of today's Daily Echo for an entry form.

Send them to: Father's Day Drawing Competition, Southern Daily Echo, PO Box 543, Southampton, SO16 9ZQ.