Students Longlisted for Prestigious Lancaster Writing Awards

The School of English and Modern Foreign Languages at Cronton Sixth Form College is delighted to announce three English Literature students have been longlisted for the prestigious Lancaster Writing Awards 2014.

The competition, ran by the Department of English Creative Writing at Lancaster University, has three award categories; Criticism, Fiction and Poetry. Only ten entries are longlisted in each category, three from Cronton Sixth Form totals the greatest number for any school or college who entered.

English Language and English Literature student Kyle Butterworth, previously at The Heath School, has been longlisted for his short story ‘The Troubles’. Kyle said “I’m so pleased. I have always been interested in Northern Ireland and its history, when my English Literature teacher encouraged us to enter I naturally gravitated towards this topic for my short story.”
A2 English Literature student Cloe Geary, formerly of Knowsley Park Centre for Learning, has been longlisted with her poem ‘i’. Cloe said “I love writing poetry but I’ve only ever shown it to my friends, this is the first time I’ve entered a competition! I’m really pleased to be longlisted, I wouldn’t have thought of entering had it not been for my teacher, Steph Power.”
AS English Literature and English Language student Kerri Ashes, from The Belvedere Academy, was longlisted for her poem ‘Eleven Days Later’. Kerri is also participating in the Prestigious Universities Programme for High Achievers at the College and is part of the Pembroke North scheme with Cambridge University. Kerri said “I can’t tell you how surprised I was to be recognised in such a big competition. I’m so glad Steph encouraged me to enter. Writing the poem enabled me to express my interest in the topic of war and its effects.”
Helen Chappell, Head of School for English and Modern Foreign Languages at the College, expressed her pride in the students’ achievements. “We are absolutely thrilled to see three of our students on the longlist, and eagerly anticipate the announcement of the winners! My thanks go to my colleague Steph Power, who consistently inspires her students to stretch themselves and to achieve as highly as they can, often exceeding their aspirations.
“Studying English Literature is not just about taking exams, it is about the broader experience, and their success in this national competition run by a prestigious University shows that Cronton Sixth Form students are amongst the best in the country and they should be immensely proud of this achievement”.