A poetry competition for Ledbury schoolchildren is being run as part of the town’s famous poetry festival.

Youngsters are invited to submit poems no longer than 30 lines, in any format, on the theme of ‘Looking after our world’.

The competition is being run by Sustainable Ledbury and Pot & Page Cafe, and there are six age categories - Reception, Years 1 and 2; Years 3 and 4; Years 5 and 6; Years 7 and 8; Years 9 and 10; and Years 11 and 12.

Entries must be all the children’s own work and can be submitted with a completed application form via email to sustainableledbury@gmail.com or handed in to the Pot & Page Cafe in New Street.

You have until Friday, June 10 to get your entries in and winners will be notified no later than Friday, June 24.

READ MORE: Ledbury Poetry Festival names new management team

A prize-giving ceremony will be held in the cafe on Saturday, July 2.

The winners and runners-up in each category will win book tokens and everyone who takes part will get a certificate.

Winning poems will also be printed by Sustainable Ledbury.

Poetry festival events

Ledbury Poetry Festival has announced that poet laureate Simon Armitage and former children’s laureate Michael Rosen will be among the big names performing in the town this summer.

Armitage will be reading from his new translation of The Owl and the Nightingale, described as a jewel of Middle English verse, and from his most recent collection Magnetic Field.

READ MORE: Simon Armitage and Michael Rosen to perform at Ledbury Poetry Festival

Rosen will read from his latest book Many Different Kinds of Love: A Story of Love, Death and the NHS.

The book is an account of Rosen’s recovery in hospital after he was admitted with Covid in March 2020 and spent a month in an induced coma.

Poets Hollie McNish, Michael Pedersen and AF Harold, beatboxer Jasmine Gardosi and illustrator Chris Riddell are also part of the festival line-up.

There will also be a family fun event to celebrate 20 years since Ledbury was twinned with Strömstad in Sweden.