There’s nothing better than inspiring the next generation to do something they’ll love. And this year we’ve marked World Stationery Day by doing exactly that.
The children at Longnor School near Shrewsbury have been busy putting pen to paper and creating amazing stories based on the theme of journeys as part of a Chrisbeon competition.
Lucy Adams, headteacher at the school, said the children love the creative curriculum they teach and that they aim to offer them a variety of exciting experiences that spark their imagination and creativity.
Lorna McCann, former journalist and author of Wendy and the Biscuit Tree and Felix – The Small Boy with the Big Imagination, has been busy reading all of the entries and presented Chrisbeon stationery and book prizes to four pupils:
- Matilda and her journey of a clever mermaid,
- Millie and Molly with their fishing journey down the River Nile, and
- Martha for her mysterious journey of the remote control.
The winners also received books from Team Author UK during a school assembly:
- Wendy and the Biscuit Tree by Lorna McCann for Matilda
- Hal and the End Street, written by Jude Lennon (and illustrated by 16-year-old Will Hawkes, who has autism), for Millie and Mollie, and
- The Misfits’ by Marie Cope for Martha.
As well as getting the children to get creative, our aim with the competition was to highlight World Stationery Day on April 25th – which doesn’t exactly get the same worldwide press coverage as some of the other calendar days throughout the year!
While it may never compete with the likes of some of the more popular themed days, being the lovers of great stationery that we are, we want as many people as possible to know about it.
After all, we all spent our formative years learning how to use different stationery and we can guarantee most of you will have used at least one piece of stationery today.
Of course, it’s not just about the pens and pencils themselves, but what can be done with them. The world’s greatest novels, films and plays would never have impacted generations in the way they have if they’d remained locked inside their writers’ respective heads!
We hope we’ve inspired the children at Longnor to get creative more often and transfer the ideas, characters and worlds little ones so often form in their head onto paper so they can be shared with others.
And perhaps a few of their parents, or even those reading this post, will be inspired to pen a letter rather than sending an email to a friend far away, or write a note to a loved one rather than a text?
Huge thanks to Lorna for judging the competition and to Team Author UK for working with us and supplying the book prizes.
And of course thanks to all of the pupils for taking part and writing such excellent entries!
Many congratulations to the worthy winners and we hope you enjoy your stationery prize.
Longnor School are extending the creative opportunities for local children by opening a Nursery from September 2018. Visit www.longnorschool.org.uk to see the exciting things that happen or email admin@longnorschool.co.uk for more information about the nursery.
