5:41pm Friday 29th June 2012
By Matthew Edwards
A YOUNG writer with a vivid imagination has been named runner up in a national writing competition.
Eleven-year-old, Chloe Richards, of Royal Wootton Bassett entered her story ‘The Ride of Two Lifetimes’ in the Explore Learning’s National Young Writers’ Award.
Chloe, who attends Noremarsh Junior School, fought off tough competition from children across the country with her story, which is a tale of a time travelling rollercoaster where a girl finds herself in 1942.
The competition was judged by bestselling author of the hugely popular Spy Dog series, Andy Cope.
“The entrants this year completely blew me away,” he said.
“These are some of the best young writers in the country and I’ve loved the opportunity to get involved in a competition where we encourage children to put pen to paper, get inspired and create something that’s never been created before.”
The National Young Writers’ Award is an annual event organised by tuition provider Explore Learning, which provides English and maths tuition to five to 14-year-olds, with a centre located at Sainsburys Bridgemead.
And a delighted Chloe was presented with a trophy for her efforts at the Explore Learning Centre on Wednesday.
Her mum Naomi said: “She was really excited and proud of what she had achieved.
“The awards evening on Wednes-day was lovely.
“It was held at the Sainsburys in Bridgemead because that is where the centre is and they had a presentation for all of the winners.
“Chloe has always been an avid reader, and I think that improves your writing ability, but she has always had quite a vivid imagination.”
The competition aims to encourage children to get their creative juices flowing and give writing a try, and Alexis Humphrey of Explore Learning was thrilled with the number of entries received this year.
She said: “Writing is a fantastic pastime for children.
“As well as helping with their grammar and spelling, it takes them away to another place where anything goes, it lets their imagination run free and we were amazed by the inventiveness of some of the stories we received.
“We’re proud to put on a competition that attracted so many entrants and want to congratulate our runners up, who fought off tough competition to have their stories named some of the best in the country.”
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