As part of the BBC RaW Family Story Festival for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Huntingdonshire District Council’s Community Information Centre in Ramsey, in partnership with Abbey College, launched a ‘family short-story writing competition’ in five schools within the area. The overall response was very good, with entries from Ashbeach Primary School, Bury C of E School, Ramsey Junior School, Spinning Infants School and Upwood Primary School. The quality of the stories and pictures was excellent and this made it a very tough job for the judges to decide on the winners.
However, a decision was finally made and at an award ceremony the Chairman of Huntingdonshire District Council, Councillor Philip Swales, and the technology college manager from Abbey College in Ramsey, Dr Charles Dalleywater, handed out the prizes for the winning stories. The first prize winner from the Key Stage 1 category was Laura Collins (aged 5) and her family, who based their story around a unicorn called ‘Moonlight’ and from the Key Stage 2 category it was Lee Corney (aged 8) and his family who based their story around ‘sky dancers’. Both families received a certificate, a £15 book token and will have their story printed up professionally (kindly sponsored by Abbey College). They also had extracts from their stories recorded at the ceremony for broadcast on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
Councillor Swales said, “The district council has been very pleased to be actively involved in the BBC RaW Family Story Festival and it is good to see local families responding so enthusiastically to this competition.”
A further five stories in the Key Stage 1 and nine stories in the Key Stage 2 category were ‘Highly Commended’ and each received a certificate, together with a BBC RaW storybook pack and pen. Huntingdonshire District Council’s Community Information Centres’ Manager, Julie Butcher, said, “There was also a wonderful range of pictures and drawings submitted with the stories, so it was decided to add a category for the best picture and the winner was Lewis Timmins (aged 6), who received a certificate and a pack of materials to create more wonderful pictures. All other story-writers received certificates of achievement”.
For further details on how to get involved locally with RaW contact the Ramsey Community Information Centre at 39 Great Whyte, Ramsey, Telephone 01487 815213.