TALENTED youngsters who impressed judges with their creativity and skill during this year’s Swindon Youth Festival of Literature reunited to pick up their coveted awards.

Yesterday, some of the best of the 8,500 teenagers involved in this year’s festival gathered at The Platform, in Faringdon Road, along with judges, headteachers, and the team of librarians from all eleven of Swindon’s schools who organised the week-long event earlier this month.

Swindon Mayor Teresa Page presented the awards to the winners of various reading and writing competitions during the seventh Youth Literature Festival, which remains unique to the town.

Fiona Hardcastle, librarian at Dorcan Academy and Swindon Youth Festival of Literature co-ordinator, was once more impressed with the enthusiasm students brought to the week.

She said: “It’s been bigger and better than ever and we’ve had such a fantastic range of authors, illustrators, poets, storytellers and even a dog visiting to meet the children and share their creativity and insights.

“But the festival is not just about the writers and professionals who come and speak but also about the students exploring their own creativity with reading and writing. They also have opportunities to find out more about the books and the authors that they might otherwise not find out about or read.

“When it came to the competitions themselves, the quality of work was superb, and choosing individual winners was incredibly difficult.”

Joffre White, Swindon’s patron of reading and writing for 2014 to 2016, said that the festival was one of the biggest things that should be championed about Swindon.

He said: “This festival is incredibly important because reading gives children the chance to gain knowledge, and find out that that knowledge gives them power, and also that they can escape to a completely new world.

“You do not need the internet, or games, or technology, all you need is a book to take you to a completely different place.

“What we have in Swindon with the Youth Festival of Literature is unique, and during my tenure as patron I will be working very hard to make sure that we continue to champion the work that our librarians in our schools do to bring this festival to the town.”

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Joffre White, Swindon’s patron of reading and writing talked to year 7 students at Churchfields Academy about how ge gets his inspiration. Pictured, left to right, are Praket, Joffre White and Megan

As well as attending the award ceremony yesterday, Joffre also spoke to Year 7 students at Churchfields Academy about his own journey towards becoming a writer.

He offered tips for the students and answered questions, as well as promising to deliver workshops at the school while he is patron.

Sharon Kirwan, principal at Churchfields, said: “It has been an absolute delight to host Joffre White here at Churchfields today.

“He is an inspirational speaker and the students were amazed. As the patron for reading and writing he is making a difference to the life chances of students across Swindon.”