THIS year the Mill Gate shopping centre will be celebrating its 27th birthday.

As every child knows, no birthday celebration is complete without a birthday cake and we are handing the job of designing a birthday cake to the children of Bury.

Today we are launching a competition for Bury schoolchildren to Design a Cupcake. We would like the design to include a birthday theme. There are two age groups - four to seven, and eight to 11.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is draw your design on the template on this page or download a template from our website burytimes.co.uk and send your completed entry to: Bury Times Design a Cupcake Competition, The Wellsprings, Civic Centre, Bolton, BL1 1AR.

The closing date for entries is Friday, July 5. Our judges will select the designs, which will feature in a special supplement in the Bury Times on Thursday July 11. Readers will then have the chance to vote for their favourite design. The winners will be the children who receive the most votes.

The winners will have their designs made into cupcakes and also receive £100 to spend at the Mill Gate shopping centre. The presentation will take place at the Mill Gate’s summer event on Saturday August 3.