News Bulletin of 1 May 2026, 8am

Young designers showcased their creativity at Fourways Crossing in Johannesburg transforming discarded materials into striking wearable outfits. Hosted by Ace Models in Johannesburg North, the show challenged participants to design garments using items like newspapers and other waste. The event is part of a year-long programme focused on developing modelling and design skills among youth while promoting recycling and reuse.

Sandton Fun Factory has earned international recognition for its early childhood financial literacy programme. The programme highlights its role in shaping financial education from a young age.The initiative focuses on financial inclusion and supports teachers in early childhood development centres to build foundational money skills among children. Aimed at learners aged three to six, the programme introduces key concepts such as earning, saving, budgeting, donating and banking. The programme recently received the Excellence in Financial Literacy Education Award from the Institute for Financial Literacy in the United States.

Eastern Cape author Dorothy de Kok has returned to Bedford after earning international recognition in Hollywood at the L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards. She was named winner in the long-running Writers of the Future competition, which includes an intensive workshop with established authors. Her short story *Thickly* is featured in the anthology *L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42*.Dorothy described writing as something rooted in ordinary life in Bedford — a small Karoo town where, she said, stories are often found in everyday encounters rather than grand settings.