Petersfield Town Council would like to congratulate the Winners of the East Hampshire Community Rail Partnership Story Writing Competition.

Listen to each of the winners read their stories.  Thank you to Petersfield Community Radio for the audio.

Bridie Pearce-Glynn

Olivia Carr

*Sebastian age 4

The East Hampshire Community Rail Partnership has today announced the winners of its “Dreaming of an Adventure by Train” writing competition via Petersfield Community Radio.

This free competition was launched in April 2020 as the COVID 19 lockdown took effect. Its aim was to encourage people at home to develop or sharpen their writing skills and imagination using a rail based theme when most of us could not physically travel by train.

To create a greater challenge a word limit of 300 was imposed, so judges were looking for concise yet detailed and well-structured compositions.

By the deadline of 8 May 2020, the Partnership had received 11 entries, which were split into under and over 16 age categories.

There was a mixture of stories, poems and prose, all of which were well written and covered a wide range of dream adventures by train.

Judges came from South Western Railway, East Hampshire Community Rail Partnership, the Community Rail Network and Petersfield Community Radio and after much consideration 2 winners were chosen:

Bridie Pearce Glynn’s “As I stepped onto the metal machine” won the under 16’s category receiving judges’ comments including “Great use of all the senses; has a dream-sequence in film quality; memorable phrases and similes.”

Olivia Carr’s “Dublin to Galway – trip of a lifetime” entry won the over 16’s category receiving judging comments of “Good character as plot, dreamlike quality and dialogue (great for radio!)”

Both winning entries were read out on Petersfield Community Radio on the morning of 29 May 2020
https://petersfieldradio.uk/2020/05/morning-report-friday-29-may/, which made fascinating listening. This interview also included the reading of a wonderful entry from a 4 year old!*

Winning entries will receive a family ticket for entry to Hollycombe Steam in the Country at Liphook.

East Hampshire Community Rail Partnership’s Rail Officer, Mark Miller, said he “was delighted with the winning entries, which fulfilled the competition’s criteria superbly. They were full of skill, imagination, description and great writing.” He thanked all the entrants and hoped that this competition had inspired people to think about developing their writing skills further.”

Note to editors:

The East Hampshire Community Rail Partnership was formed in 2013 to promote access by rail to the South Downs National Park. It is a not for profit organisation, which has partners including South Western Railways, South Downs National Park, East Hampshire District Council, Parish Councils and numerous volunteers all working to improve Liphook, Liss, Petersfield and Rowlands Castle stations, services and rail usage.

Please contact Mark Miller on 07900 103296 or info@easthampshirerail.co.uk for further information or visit www.easthampshirerail.co.uk or facebook.com/easthampshirerail

Mark Miller, 29 May 2020

This was the brief!

‘We are looking for budding writers to share their stories or poems in no more than 300 words about a journey they have taken by train or would like to take. Your story can either be true or made up – you choose!‘

Just to get you thinking; “I used to enjoy regular visits from my much loved ‘Anny’ (my mummy,) who didn’t want to be called Grannie so was fondly know by all as Anny. Anny had dementia and slowly became less independent. She continued to travel from Waterloo to Petersfield to come and visit us. One day having put Anny on the train to return home I got a call. Anny had been to Waterloo and back several times enjoying her journey; I am sure she was also having several naps on the way. Anny then extended her stay for a few days – maybe that was her way of saying she didn’t want to go home! For future trips we relied on the wonderful assistance provided by South Western Railway who made sure she got on and off the train at the right time and right place. Happy memories of a much loved Mother and grandmother who started life coming to England from Vienna on the Kinder Transport, having left her parents to escape the Nazis, but that is another train story……”

Prizes: Family tickets for 4 people (2 adults and 2 children) for Hollycombe Steam in the Country at Liphook (One prize each for under 16 and over 16 entries)