THE WINNERS of Touchwood’s ‘A Summer in Solihull’ short story competition have been announced.
The budding bards were invited to channel their inner Shakespeare in a short story competition for children aged 13 and under to celebrate the 400th anniversary of famous Stratford resident’s death.
Entrants were tasked with writing about ‘A Summer in Solihull’ in just 500 words.
And now, after being inundated with entries, Touchwood staff have chosen their grand prize winner – Jay Jalota for his short story ‘My Solihull Summer’.
The panel of judges, made up of Mayor of Solihull, Coun Glenis Slater, local author Andrew Cullum, and representatives from Touchwood and The Core, felt eight-year-old Jay had showcased ‘real creativity, originality and character’.
Not only did he touch on aspects of the local area, he gave a special account of his love for football and the importance of having confidence in yourself and your abilities – something the judges felt was very profound for someone of Jay’s age.
Jay, accompanied by his proud grandma, Krishna, was presented with his prize of a £250 Touchwood gift card prize by the Mayor of Solihull, while runners-up Aiva Dovaston and Jennifer Armstrong were presented with £50 gift cards for their dedication and creativity.
Lucy Burnett, marketing manager at Touchwood, said: “It is important to give children a platform for imagination and get them excited about writing – and in the year of Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary what better opportunity to do so.
“We were delighted to receive so many entries for our competition, and we are proud to announce Jay as our very own Shakespeare in the making.”
