Junior School pupils at Burgess Hill School for Girls were once again invited to enter the popular Burgess Hill and District Rotary Club annual Art and Poetry Competition, which is open to children from primary schools in the area.

Infant artists and Junior poets were asked to submit their work to The Rotary Club during the Spring Term and they were judged in age categories by a panel of local artists and poets.

Tony Baldwin from Downlands Art Circle kindly presented prizes and certificates to the Infant Art Competition winners. Year group prizes were won by Scarlett James for Reception, Isabelle Rowson for Year 1 and Pippa Robson for Year 2. Isabelle was delighted to be awarded an additional prize for the best piece of artwork in the Infants.

Margaret Bennett from the Poetry Group presented generous prizes and certificates to the Junior Poetry Competition winners. Year group prizes were awarded to Olivia Hampshire (Year 3), Amy Lovejoy (Year 4), Victoria Nathan-Maister (Year 5) and Alice Reffin (Year 6). Victoria's Jabberwocky-inspired poem 'Jabba Planet' also won her the overall Junior poetry prize.

Each June during the Burgess Hill Town Festival Week, Rotarian James Gartrell and his wife Anne arrange an exhibition in the foyer of the Martlets Hall and Library to show all of the entries. James said "Members of the public are always impressed with the high standards and the wonderful imagination shown by our children locally. I love organising this competition because as well as children being winners, the district benefits too by seeing just what young people can achieve in their education."

24/05/10