Eastbourne Child wins National Poetry Competition

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) announced its 10 winners of its national poetry competition, following fierce competition, with Freya, from Eastbourne, being one of the winners.

With her poem ‘A Day by the Sea’, Freya shined a light on Eastbourne as the perfect destination for a day trip on the train, earning one of the 10 lucky winners’ spots as chosen by Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho.

Mr Coelho said: “‘A Day By The Sea’ so brilliantly captured the poet’s experience and joy of travelling on the train to spend time at Eastbourne. From the seagulls, to the crabs, to the waves and the pebbles, to read this poem is to be transported. A delight to read and I agree, ‘Eastbourne is awesome.”

With a rail network that spans 11 counties, the competition received entries from all across the country, from children ages five to 13. Born from research that showed the majority of parents (80%) wish they could keep children entertained on the train without the help of tech, the competition aimed to reduce screen time by sparking kids’ imaginations and creativity.

Entrants were tasked with writing a short poem about their favourite place to visit by train, with a chance to have their work displayed on trains and at stations across the GTR network this summer.

What’s more, the winners will also receive free travel for a return journey on Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern or Gatwick Express – perfect for taking in the sights by train.

Jenny Sanders, Customer Services Director at GTR, said: “It was great to see so many children releasing their inner poets and entering our competition. There are so many great places to write about on our network that we had a really hard job whittling the entries down. We hope people are inspired to take a day trip by train to the destinations featured in each of the ten winning poems. Thanks to everyone that entered, the competition was tough, and I must say a huge well done to our chosen winners!”

The ten winning poems are currently displayed on trains and at stations across the GTR network until the end of September.