Tell a tale of animal magic and win prizes

Children and young people between the ages of six and 18 are invited to get creative over the Christmas period with a writing competition.

Redwings Horse Sanctuary, which has a centre in Aylsham, and the University of East Anglia (UEA) are teaming up again, after last year’s Black Beauty-inspired competition was such a success.

This time, youngsters are being challenged to write a story or poem about an animal (real or mythical) that has an extraordinary ability, for a chance to win some fantastic prizes.

The closing date is Monday, January 6, and winners will be placed first to third in two age-range categories.

Redwings and UEA began their partnership last year with the publication of a special edition of Black Beauty.

Charlotte McMorran-Stock, Education and Youth Publications Officer at Redwings, said: “This competition is once again inspired by Anna Sewell’s beloved book Black Beauty, as well as the amazing selection of children’s books being revived by Professor Thomas Ruys Smith and Dr Hilary Emmett, from the UEA, as part of the UEA Publishing Project.

“The story of Black Beauty is told through the eyes of a horse, named Beauty, and that got us thinking, what if other animals could talk? What if they didn’t talk but had another extraordinary ability? What adventures might they have?

“One hundred and sixty children and young people entered last year’s competition and there were some extraordinarily moving and heartbreaking pieces of writing. We hope this brief will inspire more young writers to delve deep into their imaginations.”

Prizes include book bundles, a Le Mieux horse toy and a selection of Redwings goodies including a sponsorship of Adoption Star Maya, a stunning black Friesian horse and the charity’s very own Beauty-lookalike, who lives at Aylsham.

BEAUTIFUL: Adoption of Redwings residents Maya is one of the prizes on offer.

To enter, email the typed-up entry of no more than 500 words if aged six to 12, and no more than 750 words if aged 13 to 18, to stories@redwings.co.uk, including the author’s name, age and contact information for their parent or guardian.
For more information, visit www.redwings.org.uk