Issue 307 – Phyllis’ winning spot in poetry competition

Frome poet Phyllis Higgins is one of the winners of a national poetry competition organised by Frome-based charity, Educating Kenyan Orphans, and judged by well-known poet John Hegley.

Phyllis’ poem ‘Remember Plastic Bags?’, a wry take on the damage of plastic bags in the natural environment, impressed John Hegley and his team of judges. It was one of a handful picked out of no less than 610 entries into the competition.
The winners of the competition, who were from across the country, assembled at Rook Lane Chapel where they read their winning poems after a performance by John Hegley himself.
The winning poems have all been published in a booklet, which is on sale to raise funds for the charity, available from Hunting Raven Bookshop, Frome.
The book includes a poem by John Hegley’s and three of his team of poets who helped to select the winners.
Educating Kenyan Orphans has raised £1,500 from the competition, which will go towards building a new school in Mochenwa, Kenya.
Based in Frome, Educating Kenyan Orphans funds the education of as many children as possible and to help where it can with the financial support of the teachers in Kenya. For more information, log on to http://educatingkenyanorphans.co.uk.