New creative writing competition launches in Peterborough

Connecting Stories is led by Peterborough Reads from the National Literacy Trust and is funded by Arts Council England.

The competition is part of the wider campaign which aims to increase access to literary experiences and books for children and young people in Peterborough.

The creative writing competition launched this week and is for children aged seven to 11 in Peterborough who are invited to create a piece of writing based on the theme ‘The World Around Us’.

Every child who enters the competition will receive a certificate.

They will also have the chance to have their work published in an anthology and displayed in local community cultural institutions across Peterborough.

The winning entrants will receive book prizes.

As part of the wider Connecting Stories campaign, publisher Simon & Schuster will be donating books to children in Peterborough.

Authors Danny Wallace and Guy Bass will be championing reading and creative writing in the community through the year by participating in virtual school events and promoting various literacy related activities.

More Connecting Stories community-driven activities and events in Peterborough will be announced throughout the year.

Danny said: “Connecting Stories is all about showing children that they can grow up to be whoever they want to regardless of their background. I started writing video game reviews for magazines at the age of 13 and I can’t wait to show Peterborough’s children that good literacy skills can unlock opportunities that they can carry with them into their adult lives.”

Guy said: “I grew up in Peterborough and have previously supported the work of the National Literacy Trust’s Peterborough Hub so am very excited to continue this support as part of the Connecting Stories initiative.

“I look forward to sharing the incredible gift of imagination and storytelling with Peterborough’s children and inspiring the next generation of creatives to share their voices, no matter their background.”

Sally Atkinson, Peterborough Reads hub manager, said: “Connecting Stories is an exciting opportunity to show how a place-based approach to supporting literacy can further enhance community relationships and engage children and families with cultural venues.

“I’m looking forward to extending our already strong links with the community to help children in Peterborough develop their literacy skills that will help them to succeed in life.”

Sarah Crown, director of literature at Arts Council England, said: “Connecting Stories is a brilliant, creative way of supporting children’s literacy in communities

suffering disproportionately from the impact of Covid-19.

“The commitment of publishers big and small to helping children and young people connect with stories and the authors is hugely exciting and will offer inspiration to children and families around the country, as well as a means of celebrating the unique communities and resources in local areas.

“Arts Council England is proud to support this work and excited by the opportunities it offers, both now and in the future.”

Connecting Stories will be delivered across 14 local areas with a total of 18 publishers and 32 children’s authors involved.

For more information about the competition, visit: https://literacytrust.org.uk/competitions/connecting-stories-creative-writingcompetition/peterborough-creative-writing-competition/.

For more information about the wider project, visit: https://literacytrust.org.uk/communities/connecting-stories/.