The search is on for young writing talent (From Knutsford Guardian)

The search is on for young writing talent

11:30am Monday 1st October 2012 in News By James Wilson

KNUTSFORD’s primary school children are being urged to take part in a competition to find the town’s best young writer.

The competition is called Write a Story for Knutsford, is being thrown open to all the primary schools in the town and being organised by volunteers at Knutsford Heritage Centre.

Pupils will be asked to write a story with a word limit of 300 words, but illustrations can also be included.

It will feature two age categories, one for children in years three and four at school and the other for children in year five and six.

The only rule for the pupils is that the story has to be about Knutsford, and organisers are urging children to let their imaginations ‘run riot’.

Judges will include heritage centre volunteers Emma Dearman and Val Dawson, Allostock poet Charlotte Peters-Rock and Guardian chief reporter James Wilson.

Val told the Guardian she was looking forward to hearing about the children’s take on the town.

“It was my idea as I like writing about Knutsford, and I suppose I wanted to do something that will encourage children to do the same,” she said.

“It is about promoting Knutsford but also, selfishly, about getting people down to the heritage centre.

“They can use their imagination, and the story can be based 100 years ago and could be a Cranford-style piece.

“We’ve visited some of the schools so they have an idea, but it should be really brilliant and I’m looking forward to reading them all.

“You never know, there may be some budding JK Rowlings out there.”

If you would like your child to enter the competition contact your child’s school.

Entries need to be submitted by Friday, October 19 and the winner will be announced in November.