Poetry competition at Plympton Academy

A poetry competition organised by staff at Plympton Academy, to remember the late astronomer Patrick Moore, has received almost 100 entries.

Young people from across Plymouth put pen to paper and sent in their poems inspired by the astronomers own poetry. The winning five were presented with their medals and their prize by Lord Mayor Wendy Foster and her consort Cllr Ken Foster.

The competition was suggested by a friend of Sir Patrick. Sandra Saer also edited a book of poems by the late astronomer about a woodland glade and the animals that lived there.

They included a rabbit, a field mouse – and a rather musical rat!

Mrs Saer said: “As an old friend, Sir Patrick gave me these poems for my company, SMH Books, to publish. I was delighted to read the winning entries of this poetry competition and have sent Plympton Academy copies of Sir Patrick's "Within The Glade" book as a further prize to reward these students' efforts!"

Sir Patrick Moore passed away in 2012 but his legacy remains. Plympton Academy teacher Martin Edmonds said: “Through his hundreds of books, and the people he encouraged, he is still inspiring young people around the world today. It was marvellous to read so many poems by Plymouth students and to see the time and effort they had spent writing about new animals for Sir Patrick’s glade.”