Children invited to get switched-on for poetry competition
Upper Achintore youngsters are being invited to put pen to paper for the chance to switch on their community Christmas tree lights.
This year’s tree comes courtesy of Alistair Macgregor and the Upper Achintore
Regeneration Group has organised a grand switch-on for Friday December 3, followed by a live concert by Lochaber Wind Band.
Group chairman Mark Linfield said: ‘It will be an open-air event and everyone is welcome. We advise, given the virus is still around, that those attending take precautions as necessary.’
The group is asking all nursery/primary school age children who live in Upper Achintore to compose a poem of at least four lines and including the words ‘in Upper Achintore on Christmas Day’. A parent/ guardian should then post the entry in the comments column on the Upper Achintore Regeneration Group Facebook page along with the author’s forename and age – no child’s photographs or contact details please as this is a public page that anyone can see.
Alternatively, the poem can be emailed to the group secretary at uarg19@aol.com.
The poems will be judged by Lochaber children’s author Barry Hutchison who, taking age into account, will choose the winner and three runners up.
All four will receive a gift, courtesy of Highland Council Housing, with the author of the winning poem also having the honour of switching on the Christmas lights. The deadline for submission of entries is 5pm on Friday November 26.
‘We look forward to seeing our youngsters’ creative poetic compositions,’ added Mark.
The group will livestream the event to its Facebook Page and will arrange for photographs to be taken for the Lochaber Times.