Young Writers Competition Presentation - 11.00am, Oswestry Library

"FRONT LINES" COMPETITON RESULT

For the last 7 years Oswestry Rotary Club and Oswestry Library have been co-presenting a competition for local primary school children during Spring Term.

This year's competition was entitled "Front Lines" in which an imaginary postcard home from the First World War front line would be written.

Over 200 entries were received and the authors of the best 3 entries received their Booka Bookshop book tokens at Oswesty Library on Saturday 21st March from Oswestry Rotary Club President David Gordon.

First prize went to Elliemay Reynolds (Holy Trinity CE Primary, Oswestry); second place to Nia Tansley (Our Lady and St Oswald Catholic Primary, Oswestry); third place to Charlie Morris* (Woodside Primary, Oswestry).

Elliemay also received a copy of the book "A Young Man's War" - The Diary and Letters of W. L. Ward (1918) by Alec Ward published, and donated, by The Medlar Press, The Grange, Ellesmere.  The focus of "A Young Man's War" is, as with the theme of our competition, the letters that William Leslie sent home on a regular basis during his short time in France.

The presentation of prizes were made against the appropriate backdrop of a brown paper trench scene artwork installation by Grace Westwood called "Requiem". This is at Oswestry Library for the duration of this year's Oswestry LitFest and, having championed Beast Quest Sunday at Oswestry Library for last year's LitFest,  Oswestry Rotary Club has supported this year's event by meeting the cost of "Requiem" coming to Oswestry Library.

David Gordon said "We are very grateful to Linda Rix of Oswestry Library for her hard work in putting this year's competition together and to Carrie Morris of Booka Bookshop for her help on the judging panel. We are delighted that there was such a strong entry again this year and offer our heartiest congratulations to the 3 winners."

* Charlie Morris was not available for the prize giving

Steve Thomas

COMPETITION INFORMATION

Oswestry Library, in partnership with Oswestry Rotary Club and Oswestry Lit Fest, is pleased to announce the launch of our annual writing competition for children in Key Stage 2. This year, the competition takes the theme of writing postcards from the frontline during WWI. This link may be useful to use as a discussion point with pupils and gives practical tips.

http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/archives/article/116757/Lesson-1---Letters-home

Pupils aged 7 to 11 years at your school are invited to read any books on WW1 and create their own character, possibly a nurse, soldier or ambulance driver for example. They are then asked to write their postcard provided on the entry form.

Completed entry forms should be posted in the box provided by Oswestry Library at school or in Oswestry Library before Wednesday 11th March. The winners will be contacted and will receive an invitation to join us here at Oswestry Library, during Oswestry Lit Fest week, they can have their photograph taken with a life-size sculpture of a WW1 trench by the artist Grace Westwood. Prizes will be presented on Saturday 21st March.

The first prize winner will receive a £30 Booka Book Token. There are also runner-up prizes of 1 x £20 and 1 x £10 Booka book tokens.

Please photocopy as many entry forms as you need from the master copy enclosed.

Many thanks for supporting us in our shared aim of encouraging children to read and write for pleasure.

Yours sincerely,

Linda Rix
Team Librarian
Oswestry Library
Arthur Street
Oswestry
SY11 1JN
01691 677388
(Job Share Wednesday- Thursday)