Haywards Heath schoolgirl regional winner in poetry competition

Ellie, 11, who goes to Handcross Primary School, wrote a poem entitled I’ve Seen You, which was chosen as the winning entry for the south east region in the key stage two age group.

Entrants were tasked along with thousands of primary school children across England and Wales to write an original poem on the theme of ambition, encouraging them to dream big for themselves and the world around them.

Poems were judged on a range of criteria including creativity, vocabulary and originality.

Two national winners were selected alongside nine regional winners across key stage one and key stage two.

This year’s judging panel consisted of Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate, author and illustrator Cressida Cowell, Leicester City footballer and Premier League champion Wes Morgan and poet and author Karl Nova.

Wes said: “It’s been fantastic to be involved in this competition.

“I want to congratulate every child who took part as I’ve had the opportunity to read some really inspirational poetry.

“Each and every one brought to life the theme of ambition in such a personal way.

“I feel like I could read some of these poems to my teammates in the locker room before a game and get them inspired and motivated to give 100% on the pitch.”

The competition is supported by the National Literacy Trust and is part of the Premier League Primary Stars education programme, which uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to inspire children to learn, be active and develop important life skills.

Karl said: “I’ve loved being part of this judging panel and I am really grateful to the Premier League for promoting art and poetry among young kids.

“I was so impressed by the quality of the writing, choosing a winner was certainly not easy.”

The judging was overseen by Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust.

He said: “Poetry has the ability to unlock children’s imaginations, unleash their aspirations and help them flourish at school.

“But many children miss out on these benefits simply because they aren’t interested in poetry – which is where the Premier League plays an important role.

“Through the power of football and role models, the Premier League has inspired tens of thousands of children across England and Wales to explore their ambitions and hopes for the future through poetry.

“We hope this is just the start of their wonderful writing journeys.”

A special limited-edition Writing Stars poetry book featuring the submissions of all national and regional winners will be released later in 2020, with more information available at www.plpprimarystars.com