last month we published two anthologies of the winning and commended poems in the 2020 competition, entitled
You Speak in Constellations. The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is one of the biggest competitions for young poets aged 11-17. It’s free to enter and you can win some amazing prizes. Check out the ‘Resources for Writers’ section for inspiration, and enter your poems to this year’s competition by 31 July 2021 at foyleyoungpoets.org
In this resource, we’re taking a closer look at one of the winning poems in the anthology, Libby Russell’s ‘Love Poem to Young Offenders Support Workers’. There are activities for teachers using the anthology in the classroom, and for individuals reading the poems in their own time, or looking for inspiration for their own writing. Teachers can request a free class pack of the anthology by emailing [email protected] or you can access the online version here.
Over 40 Wrexham Scouts team up for virtual walk!
Over 40 Scouts from Wrexham have put on their hiking boots and waterproof jacket to take part in a virtual night hike.
Like many community groups, the Scouts have have faced severe restrictions to their usual activities since lockdown was imposed in March 2020, with face-to-face activities limited to a few weeks last autumn.
Despite these limitations however their volunteer leaders have been doing their best to keep going online, and via sending out activity packs through the post.
Last week over forty Scouts from across Wrexham joined together to take part in a virtual hike.
Game-changing plans have been revealed for a £40m investment into the creation of a new waste processing facility just outside Carlisle, set to create dozens of jobs and produce an alternative energy source to fossil fuels. Local family business North West Recycling and partner Waste Knot Energy have drawn up plans for the construction of a new facility on the Rockcliffe Industrial Estate, Kingmoor Park, which would take non-recyclable waste from Cumbria and convert it into pellets that can be burned as a fuel source - though none of the burning will take place on site. Up to 60 jobs could be created as a result of the facility s construction, and it is proposed that when the facility is up and running, it could provide a solution for all general waste in Cumbria , according to Rick Allan, managing director of the Carlisle-based North West Recycling.
It s a massive social benefit - Extension to scheme to help tackle empty homes Carlisle City Council is continuing its efforts to tackle the issue of empty homes in the area, as figures show the number of empty properties in Carlisle is double the national average. More than 1,000 homes across the Carlisle area are currently empty, equating to two per cent of homes in the district. In late 2019, Carlisle City Council launched a grant initiative designed to support property owners return long-term empty homes to a habitable state. Yesterday, the council s executive agreed to extend the scheme, and to raise the maximum amount available from £3,000 to £5,000.
Climate change is a truly global issue, and effectively addressing it is going to require truly global action. Modern life across Cumbria, across the UK and across the world all contributes towards the effect humanity is having on the plant s climate. And so with every city on Earth playing a role in climate change, it stands to reason that it is vital every city has a plan for reducing this impact. In March 2019, Carlisle City Council resolved to declare a climate emergency , recognising the urgent action needed in Carlisle to reduce carbon emissions to net zero. One of the key features of the climate emergency was declaring a commitment to ensuring the city council s activities achieved this net zero benchmark by 2030, as well as a commitment to working with others towards ensuring the Carlisle district as a whole hit net zero carbon emissions by the same year.