On the Tuesday evening the 10th July, the Cleveleys Writers Group held their 6th annual poetry prize giving event. The event always hosted by the winning school which for the 2007 competition was Northfold Community Primary School. The event was a culmination of hard work by the pupils and staff of the partaking schools in the catchment area and this year it was our unenviable task of a panel of judges from Cleveley's Writers to select the winning entries from such a large amount of entrants in this popular school poetry competition. This year three subjects were selected by Cleveley's Writers from which the entrants could choose a subject. The subjects being, Under the Stone, Communication and My Future.
On the night, Pamela Ford as the competition co-ordinator did a wonderful job of making each of the entrants feel at ease. Pam chaired the presentation with the best ten from the numerous entrants reading their entries.
After the introductions, the ten finalists read their own poetic entry then the prize giving took place on the stage at Northfold Primary. The third prize of a five pound book token was presented by Ivan McKeon a local author and playwright to Andrew Sheffield of Anchorsholme Primary School. Andrew made a hit with the audience with his diction and clarity of speech when he read his poem My Future. The poem was acclaimed by the judges as being full of metaphors, thoughtful and well rhymed.
The second prize of ten pounds was presented by Mr Don Wright to Charlotte Hopkins of Northfold School who made a delightful reading of her work titled ‘Communication’. The theme of the different and many aspects in which we communicate was a delight to hear from such a young mind.
Finally Vita Copelano presented the a fifteen pound book token as first prize to Rebecca Golby of Northfold School for her poetic entry ‘Under the Stone’ a subject which she made her own by transposing the normal expectations of what was ‘under the stone’ into an expression of how a recipient to bullying must feel when they are put under THAT stone. It was a brilliant piece of lateral thinking and was well received by all who heard the work.
In addition to the book tokens each winner received a choice of two anthologies of poems compiled by Cleveley's Writers. The anthologies titled ‘At Ease ~ Its Only Poetry’ and Angels in Disguise (the later aimed at the NW air ambulance) are recent additions in a series produced by Cleveleys Writers. Finally Vita Copelano of Cleveley's Writers presented an engraved shield to Rebecca Golby as the representative from Northfold Primary School. The shield will be held by the winning school for one year.
Malcolm Brocklehurst Chairman Cleveley's Writers.