Operation Shoebox Winners

JOINING FORCES FOR OUR TROOPS

A new book is being launched at Liverpool’s Alamein Barracks on May 29^th   - “Joining Forces” is a compilation of stories and poems volunteered by people all over the UK . It will raise funds for Operation Shoebox, the charity which sends gift boxes to servicemen and women serving overseas and in Afghanistan .

“It’s a worthy cause that certainly deserves our support,” said Peter Quinn, managing director of United Press which is publishing the book.

In the picture, from left to right Liam Reynolds, Emily Lewis and Adele Roberts are presented with vouchers and an Operation Shoebox Teddy Bear, accompanied by soldiers at the Alamein Barracks.

Teaming up with Operation Shoebox, the publishers ran a competition to find material for the book, which will be on sale in August 2013 for £7.99 – visit unitedpress.co.uk or operationshoebox.co.uk for further details.  They have each won £100 in shopping vouchers for the winners of the 3 categories – under 12s, under 18s and over 18s.

Ian Whiteway, Founder of Operation Shoebox UK , said “it always warms my heart to see the generosity of the British public in supporting our UK troops abroad in active service. We will benefit from every book sold which means more shoeboxes to send to our troops.”

“" Operation Shoebox UK would like to thank Peter Quinn, Claire Watson and the staff at United Press for all their hard work in making this idea reality, without their help and expertise we wouldn't have known where to begin.  They have been instrumental in both running the competition and bringing these great poems and short stories to print this book, which we hope will go some way to providing much needed funds for Operation Shoebox UK .  If you would like to pre-order copies of this book please go to our website - www.operationshoebox.co.uk/book.order.php”

“We’ve received hundreds of entries from people of all ages who’ve written poems and short stories about both military and non military subjects. There were some very touching pieces of work and it’s a pity we can’t include them all.  The book has contributions by over 100 people,Joining Forces will be enjoyed by all ages” said Claire Watson, editor of the book.

“Our aim is to encourage people be creative and to ‘give it a go’ - almost all our competitions are free to enter so there’s nothing to lose, our new competition is already open for entries” said Claire. To enter send up to three poems (on any subject) up to 25 lines (including blank lines) and 160 words each, by June 30^th 2013 to NPA Free Competition at United Press Ltd, Admail 3735, London, EC1B 1JB  or visit www.unitedpress.co.uk  or e-mail your work to info@unitedpress.co.uk or ring 0844 800 9177. To see competitions for younger poets visit www.youngpoets.co.uk.

The winners in the three categories were presented with their awards at Alamein Barracks.

The 3 category winners are:

Emily Lewis from Cwmdare in Wales  (Under 12’s category) – FRIENDSHIP

Liam Reynolds from Liverpool in Merseyside (Under 18’s category) – A SHOEBOX AND A SMILE

Mrs Adele Roberts from Trebanos in Wales (Over 18’s category) – WHAT DOES A SOLDIER DO?

You can read the three winning poems below – you have permission to use them

FRIENDSHIP

We walk together, through the sand,

Near forever, hand in hand,

I am I, you are you,

Though we are different, our friendship is true.

Through dark and stormy weather,

I know that you are here,

When sadness folds around me,

Your voice alone I hear,

I am I, you are you,

Though we are different,

Our friendship is true.

From walks in the park,

To talks in the dark,

When I feel blue, I can rely on you,

I am I, you are you,

Though we are different, our friendship is true.

Whether a day at the pool, or a day at the school,

We will never cease,

We give each other peace,

I am I, you are you,

Though we are different, our friendship is true.

Together we tread, four footsteps we leave,

Around these four footsteps, our story we weave,

I am I, you are you,

Though we are different, our friendship is true.

Emily Lewis, Age 10 yrs, Aberdare, Wales

A SHOEBOX AND A SMILE

‘Twas the week before Christmas,

No snow, just sand.

Fighting in this foreign land.

Christmas seems so far away,

It’s just an ordinary soldier’s day.

No Christmas tree, no Christmas cake,

Still putting their lives at stake.

Do you have a spare shoebox?

Or maybe some unwanted gifts?

Send it to our troops, giving them a festive lift.

Toothpaste, some jellies or even new socks,

Just sort them out neatly and seal the box.

Another shoebox, for a soldier awaits,

To open on Christmas and enjoy with their mates.

Christmas in Afghan will never be pleasant,

But come on, join in, donate them a present.

It doesn’t take long but it’s sure to bring smiles,

For those not returning home for a short while.

Santa might not visit Afghanistan ,

But there’s no reason we can’t give them a festive feel,

Help us to cheer up our soldiers, by supporting the shoebox appeal.

Liam Reynolds, Age 16 yrs, Liverpool , Merseyside

WHAT DOES A SOLDIER DO?

A small child once asked me

Miss, what does a soldier do?

My reply was quite a simple one,

They protect our country, me and you.

The question had me thinking,

Had I answered it correct?

I went home that evening

And researched it more, in depth.

On my return the following day,

I quietly took the child aside.

I said, I have more information

About soldiers far and wide.

As well as protecting our country

And fighting for you and me,

Their job is that of courage,

Of strength, honour and loyalty.

The child just stared, looked at me,

With eyes that opened wide.

She edged her way towards me,

Eager to learn, sat by my side.

I talked of soldiers both far and near,

Avoiding wounds, trauma, blood or war,

For this small child was innocent

And she was the tender age of four.

There are troopers, medics and snipers,

They all fight for right and wrong.

Commandos, marines and engineers,

They are courageous, brave and strong.

A soldier can also be a father,

A mother, a daughter, someone’s son.

They all represent our country,

We should thank each and every one.

The child looked at me once again,

Stood up, smiled and turned to say

Miss, I really enjoyed that story,

I would like to be a soldier, some day.

Adele Roberts, Swansea , Wales

Relaunch of The New Writer Magazine

After 13 years of publishing newbooks magazine, I recently acquired The New Writermagazine. The synergies were obvious – TNW caters for a community of writers and writing groups in much the same way newbooks does for readers, but even so we took extra special care in relaunching it.

You can see all 68 pages here http://www.thenewwriter.com/launch-issue/ and I would be happy to send you a printed version of either or both magazines free  of charge if you let me have a postal address.
Guy Pringle
Publisher
The New Writer,  newbooks and tBkmag magazines
4 Froxfield Close Winchester SO22 6JW 

Art: Exhibiting opportunity in London and flight to New York... see below

I am the director who oversees the largest artist art fair
in Europe called Parallax Art Fair. I would like to know if an
exhibiting opportunity at the seventh edition of the fair might
interest you as an artist. I hope you don't mind, I got your
contact from Rural Arts Suffolk Website.

The fair takes place at Chelsea Town Hall on the fashionable
King's Road in London 1-2 June 2013 and is
open to all media and subject matter. You can see examples
of international artists work in the online catalogue as well
as in the press section of the website. You can also find a
link to the US site too. London exhibitors are entered into
winning a return flight to New York.

The idea behind the event is to create an opportunity for
artists to promote and sell their work, but without expensive
booth charges that fairs normally levy. There is no
commission taken from your sales and the only charge is a
fee to hire display space. You can find further information
about sizes and costs on the application form. Parallax AF
is professionally curated and all artists are asked to send
hanging plans.

The application form and further information is on the website:
http://www.barlowfinedrawings.com/june.html

If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Lastly, there is a Parallax AF Facebook and Twitter group you
might like to join where you can read articles in the
international press as well as reviews of the last fair.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parallax-Art-Fair/122785194457908

Thanks for your time and I look forward to viewing examples
of your work.

All best,

Dr Chris Barlow
--
Parallax Art Fair
BFA Ltd
London

Free Chance For Young Poets

Could you be the next young poetry laureate?

Aspiring young poets are being given free entry into this year’s Young Poets Of The Year book.

“This annual book has been published for several years now and aims to encourage under-19s to express themselves through poetry,” said Brent Whittam of United Press, which organises the competition.

This annual competition is now in its third year. “Our aim is to encourage young people to get more involved in poetry and all the poets published in the book get five free copies. This includes photos and profiles of each one, plus several of their poems,” said Brent.

Telephone 0844 800 9177 for details or send a photo, profile (including date of birth) and ten poems to Young Poets of The Year, United Press, Admail 3735, London EC1B 1JB. You can see more information athttp://www.unitedpress.co.uk/young-poets-competitions orhttp://www.youngpoets.co.uk.

“We have long encouraged young people to get involved in poetry,” said Brent. “For over a decade we have produced free books featuring poetry written by children at various schools. By donating a large number of copies (50 or more) of these books to each school we have not only helped them to raise valuable funds but we’ve also given their pupils an outlet which has encouraged them to get involved in poetry. Throughout this period we’ve also included a lot of young people in anthologies along with adult poets. Every poet under-16 has been given a free copy of any anthology which includes their work. This has helped a lot of young poets take those first vital steps towards getting recognised for their talents.”

“Young Poets Of The Year is the result and also the extension of that process,” said Brent. “We decided to produce this book to help each our Young Poet Laureates gain further recognition for their talents and help them to progress in their artistic achievement.”

Book services for all

If you have need of literary or publishing services, check us out.

 

Regards

 

Beacon Virtual Services

 

www.beaconvirtualservices.com

So a new name has now been added to the BIll Budner trophy.  Barry Martin won the competition last night with his story entitled  My life so far.

We had a good meeting although only nine members attending and Liliane was outnumbered by eight to one males. Where have all you ladies gone?

We had apologies from Caz and Beryl who could not attend and the only other business was the mention of the Scribblers having a modest presence in the Library on the weekend of the Book Festival on the 15/16 June. We will have a table with a selection of books lent to us by our own authors, for the public to see and hopefully to encourage some new members.

If anyone out there has a book they have had published and wish to contribute (on a temporary basis) to our stand on that week end perhaps you could drop me a mail so I can arrange with you to get them to either me or the Library on the Festival weekend.

Now for the meeting.

In First place, and winning the trophy for this period it was a story by one of our newer members, Barry Martin.

The title was My life so far and was an excellent tale from 8 year old Phoebe and her brother Lewis who is 3 but does not talk much. They spent many hours at the doctor's surgery with their mum who was ill a lot. They consequently did not get much sleep as the evenings were generally at the Doctors.

They used to have another brother and sister but they went to live with their own dad, Shaun. Eventually the council came and told Phoebe's mum that they didn't think she was coping well with the children so they had to go and live with their Nan and Granddad, which they liked because they had a room of their own and besides, Nanny had lots of animals.

Phoebe and Lewis love living their and mum visits sometimes on a Saturday. This is Phoebe's life so far.

Second place went to Dave's story, For King and Country. This was a story recounted to Dave by a friend who joined the Merchant Navy during the Second World War and served heroically on ships most likely to be the first target of the enemy U Boats, oil tankers. The story tells of his training in Cardiff and the noise made by the ship's guns, which afforded a little protection. The story told of how it was sometimes more hazardous to have the American Navy guarding you as they dropped their depth charges quite close to the convoy ships. One time the rear of the tanker was lifted so high the Chinese crew thought they were surely done for and they abandoned ship, but they were rounded up later. The storyteller survived the war with many tales to tell.

Third place went to a story written by Tony called Who the hell is Diane Ashworth? 

Dave Ferguson had had a skinful the night before and when he awoke he imagined the bum he was cuddling up to was his darling Sally. Several things seemed to indicate to his hung over brain that things were not quite right in this bed. The bottom was a different shape and as he spooned up to her he realised the ribs felt different too.

She turned over, murmuring 'Good morning' and he realised this was definitely not Sally but a fluffy blonde, not bad at all really. She said her name was Alison and they had sort of picked each other up the night before.

On the bedside table was an old post card, addressed to Diane Ashworth both all he found out about the mysterious Diane was that the card had been written and posted in Ramsgate in eighteen ninety three. 

Now we come to the remainder of the members stories, in not so great detail. 

In no particular order we had Fickle Fingers by Les. This was a tale of a potholer going into a cave system alone, instead of with a group. He was prepared for a couple of days but went so deep into unfamiliar systems that he became delirious and imagined he had found a gold mine. His rescuers found him, unfortunately passed away clutching a piece of granite as if it were a nugget.

Then we had a story called Long Live Freedom, penned by Liliane and one expressing views held, no doubt, by many deserted wives. This concerned Saskia and Michael who married but after speaking about it, decided they did not want children. They both had enough siblings to produce them. They lived a good life with the best holidays in plush hotels and a good apartment in the best location. Then suddenly Michael changed and he admitted to Saskia there was another woman, Maureen from the accounts department. She was pregnant and Michael was leaving to be with her. After much soul searching Saskia agreed to a divorce and soon was enjoying the freedom being able to choose what she did for herself.

Next we have When the roundabout stopped. This was a tale from Dick who gave us the true account of his memories of being on a roundabout at a small funfair on the sea front at Bognor Regis. It was September 3rd 1939 and as the roundabout was spinning merrily the music stopped as did the ride. Everyone wondered what had happened then a man's voice came over the loudspeaker system and the voice of the then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gave his now famous speech telling the nation that Britain was at war with Germany. One man, Hitler had plunged the world into war which had such devastating effect upon all involved, including the children on the roundabout.

Martin told us about someone's early attempt at writing. This was called Snow White. It was produced for the school at school and was telling of the bravery of a homosexual man called Alan Turing. He was a brilliant mathematician and during the war worked at Bletchley Park dealing with codes and computers. He was discovered to be homosexual and under the law at that time charged with gross indecency. The piece was received well but beaten into second place by a girl trying to beat the onset of anorexia. She was named Scarlet and shortly after, she and the author of Snow White were invited to edit a student magazine together and they began a long relationship. The original story for the school had been destroyed and was about an old man but the author was inspired to write about Alan Turing's bravery and eventual suicide. His discoveries were the beginnings of computers and although not officially pardoned, Gordon Brown did apologise for his treatment at that time.

Ray's story was next and was named Fear of the dark. This was about a young lady who had no fear of the dark. Her aim in life was to create fear in the predatory men who preyed on the women of the night. It tells of one of her conquests when she walks amongst the girls in the evening breeze and is picked up by a kerb crawler. She directs him to a deserted building where he lays back expectantly. When his neck is exposed she despatches him with a swift slash across the throat and with a passing remark she tells him it's his time to die. Not for the faint hearted.

My humble rendition concerned a young woman police detective and the loss of her daughter. It was called The day the Circus came to town. Moira's husband had taken Ellen to the circus and against all Moira's wishes had left her alone for a short time. He returned to find the girl gone and for seven long years after the marriage break up and gradually coming to fear that her daughter had died, Moira and her youngest, Trudy, went to the circus and by chance noticed a distinguishing birthmark on the trapeze artist's shoulder.

An investigation was begun and Ellen was returned to Moira and  Trudy to begin their lives again.

Many worthy stories on the night and Barry M takes the prize. Well done to him and congratulations to everyone on their stories.

The next meeting will be on the 4th of June and the subject for the homework is TEAMS.

Thanks to all who attended.

Barry.

And the other one - The Wigtown Festival

These are some events  as part of the Wigtown Festival. Go to their website for full details.

Wigtown Book Festival Online Charity Auction

Final call for entries for Wigtown Poetry Competition 2013

Spring Fling and Wigtown Book Festival Artist in Residence:
Joanne B Kaar

Spring Fling
25-27 May 2013


Applications for Spring Fling and Wigtown Book Festival Artist is Residence 2013/14


Spring Sing 

Big Lit ... a festival in a day
One day literary festival - Gatehouse of Fleet
Sunday 2 June 2013, 10.00am – 10.00pm


'Festival Favourites' Recipe Booklet

Support the Festival

www.wigtownbookfestival.com 

Felixstowe Book Festival ; Tickets selling out fast ; Don't be disappointed, buy TODAY!

There are only 2 tickets left for the supper with Barbara Erskine on Sat.
Other events are selling well and there is a feature in the glossy EADT Suffolk Magazine coming out this week as well as a feature today in the EADT and the Star and I'm being interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk so get in quickly!
Two events I would personally recommend are Boris Starling 9.30 Sat 15- our opening event and Breakfast with Stephen May on Sunday at 10a.m.
I'm currently reading and very much enjoying and appreciating Boris'novel "Visibility"- a very atmospheric, thought provoking thriller set in the London smog of 1952.
One of the events I most enjoy at the Edinburgh Book Festival is the breakfast event each day and have been known to book in even when the speaker was a poet reading part of his work in Icelandic! What better way to start the day than having coffee (or tea!) and a breakfast pastry while listening to an author.
Other events selling fast are Nicola Upson, the panel event "Deadlier Than the Male" ,the cookery demo, Vintage tea parties, Liz Trennow and John Saul.
Don't forget to get your children involved too- events at the library for little ones up to teenagers ( library coffee bar event with Hayley Long)

I turned on the Radio today and heard Liz Trennow talking on "Start the Week" I think the programme repeats this evening on Radio 4 .Liz is appearing at the Festival 4.30 on Sunday at the Orwell Hotel.

IF YOU BOOKED FOR SARA SHERIDAN BOOT CAMP PLEASE CHECK THE TIME. SARA CHANGED THE EVENT FROM SAT TO SUNDAY 11.30-1PM

Tickets for all events are now on sale -online by going on the website at www.felixstowebookfestival.co.uk and in person at Abbeygate Lighting opposite the Triangle and near Tesco and the cinema.Tickets for the children's events are available at the library.
If you can't go online and live too far away to buy in person please send a cheque (made payable to Felixstowe Book Festival ) with a list of tickets you want to
Felixstowe Book Festival, 113 Ranelagh Rd, Felixstowe Suffolk IP11 7HU
Your tickets will be available for collection at the first event you have booked.

Buy now! Some events are selling fast so you may be too late if you wait!

This is what is on offer for the weekend:

.
At the Orwell Hotel
All day Saturday and Sunday we have exciting, award winning authors talking about their work and signing their books- novels, short stories,history, art history, journalism, blogging and politics.
Events start on Saturday at 9.30 with Boris Starling
Boris opens the Festival by talking about our theme “A Sense of Place”
Boris is the author of the acclaimed novel Vodka as well as two New York Times extended-list bestsellers Storm and Messiah and was a reporter for The Sun and The Daily Telegraph.

At the White Horse Inn
You have more author talks, a session on blogging, a literary supper with best selling novelist Barbara Erskine and a chance to try
 Fantastic Food for a Fitter Future  
Cookery demonstration and tastings.( Free entry)
Delicious-Nutritious in association with Felixstowe Book Festival
You also have between 12pm-6pm “Face Books” White Horse Pub Barn Sat 15^th & Sun 16^th
An exhibition of the work of artist Alison Stockmarr'Face Books' is a collection of work poking fun at Facebook. By matching old photographs with suitably titled books, profiles are constructed, creating a library of invented friends of yesteryear. Apertures are cut into books, with photographs and ephemera collaged within their pages. Appropriate and sometimes inappropriate, narratives are constructed to complete the picture, all be it fake...not unlike some of the ones on Facebook!

At Felixstowe library
Story telling and activities for children on sat 15th and 2 events for older children and teens on Sunday
A workshop for adults and children

“Make a home for your book” Sat 2.30-4pm

Call them book rests, homes for books or tall stories. Create a collaged house for books to perch on.

and an Art exhibition

Makedoandmend Picture Book Art Exhibition – Free entry

Described as a 'latter day borrower' Alison Stockmarr makes quirky characters, incorporating them into tales of recycling. 

For adults at the library over the weekend we have 4 sessions for writers, a poetry reading and an author introducing his book about caring for a relative with dementia.

Our mailing address is:
113 Ranelagh Rd 
Felixstowe
Suffolk
IP11 7 HU or

email 

meg@megreid.co.uk or phone me on 01394 279783 for more details.