A schoolboy from Furness has been judged the best young poet in a competition run by the descendants of William Wordsworth.
Jacob Currie, 14, a pupil at Furness Academy, took the title with his poem The Gap in Life after members of the Wordsworth family judged more than 150 entries from Cumbrian schools.
The theme this year was “Mind the Gap”, inspired by the aftermath of the winter floods which closed the main road between the north and south of the Lake District. Peter Elkington, the curator of Rydal Mount, who organised the contest on behalf of the Wordsworth family, said: “The writers could interpret the theme in any way they wished, but we thought that it would be an opportunity for some of them to consider how the winter storms and the Gap on the A591 have affected their lives and their family lives.”
Announcing the winner in a ceremony at Rydal Mount near Ambleside, Wordsworth’s home for most of his life, was the poet’s great-great-great-great-grandson Christopher Wordsworth.
He said: “There were lots of good poems, but we chose the winning poem because it reminded us of Wordsworth and his nature poems, and the poems of his childhood. It also took the ‘Mind the Gap’ theme and developed it into something more universal than just the road.”
Jacob was presented with a £50 cash prize, a personal trophy, and his name added to the roll of honour on the plaque at Rydal Mount.
In the senior schools category, the winner was 16 year old Ross Casson from Dowdales School. The junior school prize went to 11 year old Amelie Tyson from Ambleside CE primary school. They both received books.
There were also books for the young poets whose work was judged “highly commended”. They were Connor O’Hara (14) who is home-schooled; Elliot Knowles (13), Joshua L’Anson (14 ), Fay Baron (14) and Milly Mckinnell (13), all from Furness Academy; Joseph Rollit (11) and Jack Dixon (9) from Grasmere Primary School; Sammy Barnett (7) from Ambleside Primary; and Kaleb Million (8) and Molly Salt (5) from Storth primary school.
Each entrant received a certificate signed by the Wordsworth family.
The winning poem:
The Gap in Life by Jacob Currie
Climbing the mountains
The gushing streams flow through your mind
Your feet patter over the moss covered boulders
As you set off on your journey
The jumps you must leap
As you hold your fathers hand
Just in case he’s scared
You bound across the emerald – green fields
The vanishing horizon turning pink, purple, and then black
The stars in the sky glimmer like the excitement in your eyes
Your pace getting slower
Until you come to a stop
Turn around
And see the gap
Between man and nature
The beauty of the little daisy by your foot
Compared to the billowing smoke from the factories
The sparkling night sky covered by fog and smoke
But you know
Above you there’s a whole new adventure
Waiting for your feet to wander over the newly paved paths
Just for you.
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