POETRY COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED

10 Jun 2002 01:42 PM

The Royal Household today announced the results of The Queen's Golden Jubilee Poetry Competition, which saw almost 4,000 children from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland put pen to paper to commemorate a great historical event in an enjoyable and lasting way.

The winners in the three age categories will be invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace and presented by The Queen with specially commissioned gold, silver and bronze medals, based on Raphael's Study for the Figure of Poetry.

The themes of the entries, which were judged by a panel of leading poets chaired by the Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, ranged from The Queen herself and aspects of her time on the throne, to a particular incident or historical event which happened during the past last 50 years.

Andrew Motion said: "The range and quality of the poems were extraordinary and the competition as a whole lived up to our highest hopes.

"It is a great thing to have poetry forming such a central part of the jubilee celebrations."

Keeper of the Privy Purse, Sir Michael Peat, added: "The poems have been fun and rewarding, and a good way to involve schools and young people in the Jubilee."

All entries will be preserved for posterity in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle. The fifty best poems will be published in the book Fifty Jubilee Poems, copies of which will be sent to all participating schools. Copies will also be for sale with all the proceeds going to two nominated Golden Jubilee charities; Barnardo's and I-CAN.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. The nine winning poems are attached, as well as the names of authors of the 50 best poems. All the poems will be published in the book Fifty Jubilee Poems.

2. There was a limit of three entries per school in each age category; 7-11 year olds, 11-14 year olds, and 14-18 year olds. The competition was open to all schools in the UK.

3. The prizes for the best three entries in each of the three categories are specially commissioned medals, which will be presented by The Queen at Buckingham Palace on 9th July, 2002.

4. All participating schools will receive two free copies of Fifty Jubilee Poems in September.

5. The judging panel was chaired by Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion. Other members were Carol Ann Duffy, Michael Longley, U. A. Fanthorpe and John Agard.

6. The design of the medals is based on Raphael's Study for the Figure of Poetry, which has been in the Royal Collection for over 300 years.

END

FIFTY JUBILEE POEMS

Pupil name Age School

1. Tony Managh G 11
Park Junior School, Wellington, Shropshire
2. Louise Shaw S 8
St. Martin's Church of England Primary School, Dorking, Surrey 3. Eden Latham B 10
St. John's Waltham Green Church of England Primary School, Fulham, London SW6
4. Alexander Pirrie G 13
Edgehill College, Bideford, Devon
5. Thomas Trevor-Roberts S 12
Trevor-Roberts' Preparatory School, London NW3
6. Claire Pelly B 12
The Godolphin School, Salisbury, Wiltshire
7. Laura Craigen G 18
Wychwood School, Oxford
8. Nina Matheson S 17
Tain Royal Academy, Ross-shire, Scotland
9. Helen Nightingale B 17
The Henley College, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
10. Key Stage 3 combined entry
James Brindley Hospital School, Birmingham
11. Marta Ciechanowicz 17
St. Catherine's School, Bramley, Surrey
12. Joseph Rogers 8
St. Andrew's Church of England School, Hove, Sussex
13. Josephine Mbwana 17
St. Margaret's School, Bushey, Hertfordshire
14. Lucy Dunsford 14
St. Helen's School, Northwood, Middlesex
15. Brendan Davies 13
Pittville School, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
16. Leah Parker-Turnock 7
St. Thomas of Canterbury Junior School, Chester
17. Rachel Ponsford 11
Launceston Community Primary School, Cornwall
18. Jenny Wall 17
The Belvedere School, Liverpool
19. Michael Binnie 11
St. Ninian's Primary School, Dundee, Scotland
20. Megan Carson 11
Holywood Primary School, Dumfries-shire, Scotland
21. Christine Paterson 11
Belmont Middle School, Harrow Weald, Middlesex
22. Tessa Riley 17
Notting Hill and Ealing High School, Ealing, London W13
23. Megan Baddeley 15
St. Edward's School, Oxford
24. Helena Conroy-Lewis 10
La Retraite Swan, Salisbury, Wiltshire
25. Alex Wicks 10
Highfield Primary School, Moortown, Leeds
26. Anisa Bocus 15
Hackney Free and Parochial Secondary School, London E9
27. Emily Mercer 12
Maharishi School, Latham, Ormskirk, Lancashire
28. Kabir Sabir 9
Ercall Junior School, Wellington, Shropshire
29. Victoria Batten 11
Lady Joanna Thornhill Primary School, Ashford, Kent
30. Naomi Miller 12
Oxford High School, Oxford
31. Megan Rotherham 9
Sutton Valence Preparatory School, Chart Sutton, Kent
32. Ellen Proudfoot 10
St. Katherine's School, St. Andrews, Scotland
33. Martin Dubois 17
Wimbledon College, London SW19
34. Katy Vincent 10
Kingsbury Hill House School, Marlborough, Wiltshire
35. Luke Bennison 13
Plymouth Hospital School, Plymouth, Devon
36. Emily Colley 9
Great Bentley Primary School, Colchester, Essex
37. Katie Leafe 13
Thornden School, Chandler's Ford, Hampshire
38. Emma Ballantine Dykes 15
The Godolphin School, Salisbury, Wiltshire
39. Sarah Grant 15
London Jewish Girls High School, Hendon, London NW4
40. Michael Hart 14
Pope Pius X Catholic High School, Wath, South Yorkshire
41. Naomi Cherry 13
Glenalmond College, Perth, Scotland
42. Kate Hamilton 15
King's School, Macclesfield, Cheshire
43. Patsy Amadi 17
St. Michael's Catholic Grammar School, Finchley, London N12 44. Lydia Wilding-Smith 12
Newnham Middle School, Bedford
45. Sinead Costelloe 12
Queen Anne's School, Caversham, Berkshire
46. Genevieve Raghu 14
Norwich High School for Girls, Norfolk
47. Stella McCall 10
Kinloch Primary School, Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland
48. Connor Trendell 14
George Heriot's School, Edinburgh, Scotland
49. Sophie Lyon 12
Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire 50. Telha Arshad 11
Woodhill Preparatory School, Chandler's Ford, Hampshire

GOLD MEDAL WINNER. AGE 7-11

Aberfan
21st October 1966
Tony Managh

'In that silence you couldn't hear a bird or a child'
Aberfan resident

In Aberfan it was so quiet,
You could hear the burning tears fall,
Hurting,
Heart-broken.

In Aberfan it was so quiet,
You could hear faces crumpling softly,
Loving,
Lonely.

In Aberfan it was so quiet,
You could hear hearts breaking,
No laughter,
No life.

In Aberfan it was so quiet,
You could hear empty arms aching,
Slipping,
Sliding.

In Aberfan it was so quiet,
You could hear The Queen hugging her own
Kids
Hard ..

Tony Managh, aged 11, is a pupil at Park Junior School, Wellington, Shropshire

SILVER MEDAL WINNER. AGE 7-11

Inviting the Queen to Tea ..
Louise Shaw

Dear Queen,
I hope you have a space suit,
For we are going to tea on Mars,
Please come,
Louise.
P.S. 5.30 sharp.

Dear Queen,
Please meet me at the space station, Florida,
For we are going on the 5.40 rocket,
Please come,
Louise.
P.S. Please come in that lovely pink dress for the rocket.

Dear Queen,
As you must recognise me, I will be wearing my blue frilly dress, I'll be with four friends,
Please come,
Louise.
P.S. Oh, do come.

Dear Queen,
I hope you like roast beef, mashed potatoes and jelly with cream and strawberries,
Please come,
Louise.
R.S.V.P.

Dear Louise,
Yes, I love roast beef, mashed potatoes and mushy peas.
And yes, I have a space suit and I'd love to come.
Yours sincerely
Elizabeth
P.S. I will wear my pink dress.

Louise Shaw, aged 8, is a pupil at St. Martin's Church of England Primary School, Dorking, Surrey.

BRONZE MEDAL WINNER. AGE 7-11

The Jubilee Cat
Eden Latham

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I've been in London to visit the Queen.

Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you see?
I saw the Queen getting ready for her Jubilee.

I bet you didn't see her sneeze!
I did.
I bet you didn't sit on her knees!
I did.

And she said, Pussy cat, pussy cat, what are you doing here? Would you like a sip of my Jubilee beer?

I said, 'No, thank you, Queen, I'm not yet eighteen,
But I'd appreciate a tickle and some royal cream.'

So the Queen clicked her fingers and called 'Daphne, come here' And in a twitch of my whiskers a maid did appear.

She said, Daphne, Daphne, milk the royal cow
I need a jug of cream for this pussy right now.

And then the Queen made me her Jubilee cat
I was given a medal and a silk feather hat.

What, she made you her Jubilee cat?
Did you ride in her carriage?

Yes, on my own velvet mat.

There is just one problem!
Yes, what's that?

Don't you know she has corgis ..?

Eden Latham, aged 10, is a pupil at St. John's Walham Green Church of England Primary School, Fulham, London SW6.

GOLD MEDAL WINNER. AGE 11-14

Boogie in the Garden
Alexander Pirrie

Buckingham Palace announced that a free pop concert was to be held in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Golden Jubilee.

Hey there Queen!
Gonna boogie in the garden.
Boogie so loud
Gonna need a Royal Pardon.
Hip hop bash,
The roof will be raisin'.
You'll be tryin' not to hear us
Through the royal double-glazin'.
Not your scene?
You'll just have to lump it,
You can't always boogie
To the same royal trumpet.

Golden Jubilee, a right royal bash:
You can boogie in your garter,
You can boogie in your sash,
You can boogie with a sceptre,
You can boogie in a crown,
Man, they're gonna hear us
From the other end of town.

This party's out to prove
You're the best there's ever been,
As a hip hop happening
Cool mean QUEEN!

Alexander Pirrie, aged 13, is a pupil at Edgehill College, Bideford, Devon.

SILVER MEDAL WINNER. AGE 11-14

Gold
Thomas Trevor-Roberts

Fifty golden wheat heads blow
Fifty golden wheat stalks grow,
Golden years lay row on row,
Fifty years may quickly go.

Golden hair will quickly grey,
Golden wheat heads brown and fray,
Golden leaves will rot away,
Virtues are here to stay.

Thomas Trevor-Roberts, aged 12, is a pupil at Trevor-Roberts' Preparatory School, London NW3.

BRONZE MEDAL WINNER. AGE 11-14

Hairdresser Conversation
Claire Pelly

"How would you like your hair today
Blue rinses, highlights or curls?"

"Something pretty, something cool
Something to go with my pearls!"

"Is it a special occasion, Ma'am,
An event I might see on TV?"

"Nothing special, nothing grand
Just Tony Blair coming for tea!"

"So what are you doing this summer then,
I hear it's your grand Jubilee?"

"We're hoping to keep it a secret
Just my husband, the children and me."

"Have you had your holidays yet,
Are you going any place far?"

"Just America, Spain and France
And I'm hoping to meet a Czar!"

"Are you doing any more shopping,
Or are you not staying in town?"

"I'm going to buy some dog food
And a Versace gown!"

Claire Pelly, aged 12, is a pupil at The Goldolphin School, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

GOLD MEDAL WINNER. AGE 14-18

Burmese, the Queen's Horse, speaks for the Cavalry
Laura Craigen

Now days grow short, nights more bleak
And our nostrils twitch with the scent of ice,
Boxed hay draws dust, and rain makes sleek
The cobbled yards. Winter broods beyond our sight,
Looming beneath the Cotswold knolls, and coldness bites.

I am Burmese. Aged now, rain-whipped flanks
To the wind, I wax grizzled and weathered,
Ice-flecked across my darkened shanks.
Winds lift my matted mane northwards: the first feathered Flakes of winter tumble among the muddied heather.

It was not always desolate. Once, strong and raven-haired From the woody halls I commanded plumed horses,
And my Queen, side-saddled and equally fair,
Rode upright and proud at the head of her forces.
But all grow older: age runs its course.

And now I bask wearily in windswept disuse.
With the seasons pass household equestrian faces,
And to the kettledrum's colourless, ancient tune
Colts grow, are broken, and are put through their paces - Among bearskins and banners they seize time-honoured places.

As slow seasons turn, lost times are remembered,
Winter is dire but cannot sustain.
We are steel-shouldered with untapped labour:
Though the winter of technology seems to maintain
Its frosts, we huddle wordlessly, and do not complain.

For at Mons and at Cambrai they pushed bravely forward,
Our forefathers tussled at Bosworth, they claimed.
So we linger, we linger, and when winter is thawed
All the Queen's horses with all of her men
Shall hurtle in bright summer battle again.

Laura Craigen, aged 18, is a pupil at Wychwood School, Oxford.

SILVER MEDAL WINNER. AGE 14-18

Ealasaid
Nina Matheson

Nad aonar, air a' chathair
Le clogad òir mud cheann
Gad dhìon bho na teangannan biorach a-muigh.

Cumaidh tu ort,
Le fiamh gàire, a' gabhail nam flùraichean
Ag obair mar cheannard nad fhactaraidh.

An t-aodann ainmeil,
Eòlach, sìtheil, sàmhach
Na mo phòcaid gach latha gam chumail beò.

Tha na h-uile eòlach ort
Ach chan eil,
Tha thu fhèin eòlach, ach chan eil.

Chan eil e furasta,
A' cur ceann eòlach air pàiste,
Nad thaigh leis a' ghàrradh, stòlda, gun ghlusad, nad ghearastan.

A' coiseachd air an dùthaich, d'ealachan air loch,
Coin, eich, rèisean, cupa, teaghlach,
Eallaich is uallach Ealasaid.

Nina Matheson, aged 17, is a pupil at Tain Royal Academy, Ross-shire, Scotland.

Translation

Elizabeth
Nina Matheson

Alone, on the throne,
With a golden helmet on your head
Defending you from the sharp tongues outside.

You carry on,
With a smile, accepting the flowers,
Working as head of your factory.

The famous face,
Familiar, peaceful, silent,
In my pocket each day keeping me alive.

Everyone knows you
But does not;
You yourself know, but do not.

It is not easy,
Putting an experienced head on a youngster,
In your house with the garden, sedate, not moving, in your fort.

Walking in the country, your swans on a loch,
Dogs, horses, races, a cup, a family,
The burdens and responsibilities of Elizabeth.

BRONZE MEDAL WINNER. AGE 14-18

The Queen's Hats
Helen Nightingale

A simple number, pretty nifty,
Was required in the nineteen-fifties.
In sixty-one I felt quite pensive;
My grey hat matched the comprehensives.
In sixty-six the grey was history;
I wore white for the World Cup victory.
In Vietnam, red showed my rage
For the napalmed girl on the world's front page.
As the seventies drew to a close
My fuchsia trilby stunned the discos.
But my lime green beret wasn't noticed at all
(Eclipsed in eighty-nine by the Berlin Wall).
Communism fell, I was glad of that -
Capitalism means more hats.
My hat was black in Y-2-K;
I always knew that dome wouldn't pay.

I've always liked my hats. (At the moment I have pink.)
They give me an air of dignity, I think
Because a hat has more history than any crown jewel.
Though I know that as a ruler I'm not allowed much rule, I've always had opinions - I've just hidden them with grace. I'm more than just a hat stand and a pretty face.

Helen Nightingale, aged 17, is a pupil at The Henley College, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.