Kingfishers, sausages and spooky goings on: Winners Announced For D.H. Lawrence Writing Competition

The poem was written by Helen, from the age 12-16 category, as part of the competition, which was launched on World Book Day earlier this year. Other entries included a spooky short story about Brinsley’s old coal mine and a humourous tale about a sausage jumping out of a pan.

Helen was joined by the other winners and those shortlisted at an event at the D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum to be presented with their prizes.

The full list of winners are:

Age 12-16 Category:

1^st Place, short story, ‘Village Park Memories’ by Grace

2^nd Place, short story, ‘Neighbourhood’ by Lucy

3^rd Place, historical short story, ‘My Neighbourhood, Greenwich’ by Kritika

Age 11 and under category:

1^st Place, thriller short story, ‘Spooky’ by Isaac

2^nd Place, non-fiction piece, ‘My Neighbourhood Throughout the Year’ by Nathanael

3^rd Place, non-fiction piece, ‘My Neighbourhood’ by Emily

Best of Broxtowe

Poem, ‘Kingfisher at Attenborough Nature Reserve’ by Helen

Highly Commended

Humorous short story, ‘The Sausage that Jumped out of the Pan’ by Elodie

Highly Commended

Non-fiction piece, ‘Birds in my Neighbourhood’ by Ethan

As part of the competition, children were asked to for short stories, poems and non-fiction pieces on the theme of ‘my neighbourhood.’

As one of Nottingham’s most famous sons, the award is named in honour of the Eastwood born writer, D.H. Lawrence who often wrote about the local area in his own works.

The judges, made up of Eastwood Writers’ Group and local writer Kai Northcott, were overwhelmed by the response with over 240 entries received from not just Broxtowe, but all over the country and as far afield as Iceland and Mexico.

The competition has been made possible thanks to funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum is where this literary legend was born on 11 September 1885. Only 30 minutes from Nottingham city centre, the Museum is a must see for fans of literature, and for those wanting to delve deeper into Nottingham’s literary heritage.

Step back in time to experience the traditional Victorian wash house, see the parlour; a room only for special guests, feel the warmth of the fire in the kitchen and have a wander around the parental and other bedrooms. The museum’s permanent exhibition features items from Lawrence’s family and even paintings created by the author himself.