Slough Writers Sponsor Writing Awards

SLOUGH WRITERS SPONSOR WRITING AWARD (2016-02-04 13:43:05)

For the first Slough Writers are supporting the Berkshire Music and Arts Festival by sponsoring a prize for young writers. This year the trophy was presented by the chairman of our group Terry Adlam. The cup was won by ten year old Thurka Ananth from Newbury for her story The Gas Mask in which a schoolboy finds a Second World War gas mask and when he wears it he is able to travel in time and experience the war.

The presentation day was Sunday 31 January at Ufton Court near Reading and was attended by musicians, performers and writers. There were readings by established authors and poets in addition to the presentation of awards. Lesley Saunders, who has been a good friend to Slough Writers for many years, was the judge of the poetry section of the competition.

Terry Adlam presenting the trophy to Thurka Ananth

The Trophy Itself

Another way SW supported the festival was to enter the adult fiction section and our efforts were rewarded when we won all three prize places. First prize including Kindle vouchers worth 75 pounds donated by author Clare Whyle went to Mike Pearcy for his story Cyber Romance about a woman who gets involved with an online dating scam but makes sure she comes out on top.

Mike Pearcy, Clare Whyle, Linda Hurdwell, Terry Adlam and Robert Kibble.

Linda Hurdwell came second with her story Thelma and Ed set in Canada in the 1880s studying a woman who cares for a bear cub to ease her loneliness while her husband works away building railways.

Third place went to Robert Kibble for his story entitled Memories, Not Echoes which placed its main character in a locked sound proof room and explored what goes through his mind as he runs out of air in the complete darkness.

The prizes were presented by Clare Whyle who writes in partnership with her best friend and together they produce a series of romantic escapist novels under the pen name of Nina Whyle. Their fourth novel is called My Disorganised Life and tells the story of Eve Poots who changes her life by creating a things to do list but then realises it was the wrong list.

The three stories may be read here: Cyber Romance, Thelma and Ed and Memories Without Echoes