John Kyrle High School student, Alicia Johnson Husbands, has been awarded second prize in the young people’s category at the prestigious Ledbury Poetry Festival.

At this international poetry competition, there are categories for adults, young people and children and competition is fierce.

The judge, Fiona Sampson MBE, commented on Alicia’s poem: “‘Agoraphobia’ is a richly-stuffed narrative of a poem. It’s also evocative and musical in its layering of quotations, speech and inner thought. The long lines are urgent, never dull. A poem that’s full of life but wonderfully artful and sharply observed.”

Alicia told the Ross Gazette: “Twelve months ago I was adamant that I neither liked nor could write poetry. So, to have one of my poems publicly recognised is an amazing personal achievement.

“‘Agoraphobia’ was inspired by the trips I used to take with my Dad and older sister to see my grandmother. My poem is told through the eyes of my younger self, when I was too young to recognise the illness she had. Looking back, it’s easy to see but it was something beyond my comprehension as a child. It was my intention to capture the feelings I experienced at that time.”

Mrs Russell, one of Alicia’s English teachers said: “Alicia is a very talented student, she has such facility with language and it’s exciting to see her explore her ideas in poetic form. The school is very proud of her!”

Alicia is planning to study Creative Writing at University next year and we are sure she will go from strength to strength.

You can read all the winning poems at: www.poetry-festival.co.uk

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