Winners of the Big Green Staffordshire Poetry Competition celebrated at Stafford Library

Pictured left to right, Wendy Goulstone, Staffordshire Poet Laureate Dawn Jutton and Sarah Dale

The winning poets of the Big Green Staffordshire Poetry Competition were celebrated at Stafford Library’s Green Library event, showcasing some of the remarkable local talent and creativity in the community.

Stafford Library hosted The Green Library event on Saturday 20 May with the help of Staffordshire Poet Laureate Dawn Jutton and Young Poet Laureate Mina Tideswell. People gathered at the library to enjoy the celebrations, which included readings of work from local poets, and a special appearance from former Poet Laureate Mel Wardle Woodend, who enthralled the audience of poetry fans with her own captivating verses.

The competition was created and run by Staffordshire County Council as part of this year’s Staffordshire Day celebrations. This is the first time the council has run a competition like this, and the aim of this exciting initiative was to inspire and engage the community to explore the themes of sustainability, the theme of Staffordshire Day, through the medium of poetry.

The competition received a fantastic response, with nearly 100 poems entered. Poets of all ages and backgrounds contributed with their unique perspective on the natural wonders and environmental treasures of Staffordshire. In recognition of their talents, the winners were presented with a bespoke book containing a compilation of the winning poems.

The winners of the Big Green Staffordshire Poetry Competition are:

• Sarah Dale (Over 18 winner)
• Carl Griffiths (Over 18 winner)
• Wendy Goulstone (Over 18 winner)
• Laurence Snape (Under 18 winner)
• Mya Sykes (Under 18 winner)
• Phoebe Ansell (Under 18 winner)

Phillip White, Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills, said:

“The Big Green Staffordshire Poetry Competition has been a great success, with poets of all ages showcasing their talent for writing. It has been lovely to see such passion for poetry and writing among so many people. These poems captured the beauty of Staffordshire’s environmental treasures wonderfully, and highlighted the importance of protecting them for future generations to enjoy. This is exactly the message we wanted to convey for Staffordshire Day.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the competition and celebrations. Congratulations to the talented winners!”