Budding young writers can win cash prizes for their schools by letting imaginations go wild in a new story-telling contest - for Crewe and Nantwich children.

Crewe & District Writers Circle has launched a Story Starter competition backed by South Cheshire commercial property maintenance company, Construction Linx, whose owner, Gareth Williams, is a keen writer and poet.

Mr Williams, a member of the writing group, told Nub News: "The Crewe & District Writers Circle are a passionate group of local writers who love to spread the joy of literature and writing in all genres.

Owner of Construction Linx and keen writer and poet, Gareth Williams (Nub News).

"The group was founded in 1964 and for many years it has run a successful International Poetry competition but this year the aim is to do something different and very local for younger budding writers.

"The competition is an opportunity for KS2 pupils to flex their writing skills and add their own spin on a fantastical story set in and around the area."

Construction Linx, based on Crewe Hall Enterprise Park, has sponsored the competition offering a £250 cash prize for the school of the winning entry and £50 Amazon Voucher for the star writer.

There will be runner up prizes of a £30 Amazon voucher for the youngster in second place and a £20 Amazon voucher for the third.

The competition is open to pupils aged nine to 11, enrolled in schools within Crewe and Nantwich.

Construction Linx has sponsored the competition offering a £250 cash prize for the school of the winning entry and £50 Amazon Voucher for the star writer (Nub News).

Entrants must use a story beginning provided by the group and pick a location for an 'unexpected event' on a perfectly normal day at their school, Queens Park, the BMX track or all over Crewe.

The story starter begins: "The day was just like any other in June, with the sun shining and Crewe alive with activity. But something lurked beneath the surface, something sinister and strange.

"The morning started off innocuously enough, with the school bells ringing and the children filing in, greeting their teachers with the customary 'Morning Miss' or 'Morning Sir.'

"It was an ordinary day, but there was something not quite right, something that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and then, something unexpected happened."

Construction Linx carries out maintenance on several South Cheshire schools and Gareth, a published poet, is keen for pupils to look beyond technology for inspiration.

Entrants are encouraged to pick a location in Crewe for an 'unexpected event' in their stories (Nub News).

Mr Williams added: "Construction Linx is closely connected with the local community through our charity efforts.

"Supporting the writing competition is a way to give back to younger residents of Crewe and Nantwich.

"In these days of AI and Chat GPT we would love for children to develop a flair for crafting their own stories and wordsmithing skills that will last a lifetime."

The competition will be judged by Crewe & District Writers Circle members. Deadline for entries is Friday 26 May.

Spokesman, Steven Goodwin said: "We are very grateful to Construction Linx for sponsoring this competition.

Construction Linx, based on Crewe Hall Enterprise Park (Nub News).

"We hope it encourages local students to bring their stories to life and explore the creative process and we look forward to reading their entries."

Winners will be announced at an open day to be staged by the group at the Hope & Beams Centre, Broad Street, on Saturday 8 July.

READ MORE: Crewe reacts to Canadian chain drive-thru plans for 'bottleneck' car park.

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