Young people from Lakers School made our first evening a huge success, with their presentation of poetry and prose inspired by all manner of happenings.  Thomas did a great job as MC and each young person read with passion and enthusiasm. Some of these pieces have been published recently in an anthology, so special congratulations to those authors.

The Lakers young people were followed by the announcement of our shortlisted writing competition winners, five of whom read their entries to the audience, raising laughs and rueful smiles at some self-recognition: congratulations to the following writers –

Rachael Boucker – rhyming story ‘I’m Reading’
Izzie Daly – prose ‘Him’
Diana Gash – prose  ‘A Story about a Woman and a Bird’
Deborah Gregory – prose ‘Postcard’
Val Ormrod  – poem The Joy of Words’
Sarah Sawyer – prose ‘Seize the Day’
Paul Stephens-Wood – prose ‘Reading my World’
Gill Taber – prose ‘Not Now, Child’
Janet Thorpe – prose ‘I’m Reading’
Toni Wilde – prose ‘Brain Waves’

Each received a copy – signed by Andrew Taylor – of the Anthology of their work which the Festival has published and which is available at Festival events –  highly recommended. The competition winners will  be announced by Andrew at a free event on Saturday at 7 pm at the Coleford Baptist Hall, where the winners will read their entries.