Record Breaking Poetry Readers

Poetry reading in Chesterfield was the focus when children from local junior schools took part in Rotary’s annual Chesterfield Junior School’s Poetry-Reading Competition.  Staged for the 26^th consecutive year by the Rotary Club of Chesterfield, the event was hosted this year by Calow Primary School and held on Wednesday 23 October 2013.

A record fifteen contestants took part from five local schools, which were Abercrombie Primary School, Brimington Junior School, Calow Primary School, Duckmanton Primary School, and Hady Primary School.

The winner was 10 year old Christopher Chiad from Hady Primary School with his rendition of Roald Dahl’s poem ‘The Centipede Song’. Runners-up, also from Hady Primary School, were Isobel Woolley with ‘The Adventures of Isobel’ by Ogden Nash and Melissa Moxon with ‘The Visitor’ by Ian Serraillier. 

from left to right: Rotarian Ian Gordon, Rotary President Mike Cudzich-Madry, Inner Wheel past president Margaret Mitchell and president Ann Elliott, with winner Christopher Chiad (front centre) and runners-up Melissa Moxon (left) and Isobel Woolley.

President Mike Cudzich-Madry who presented the prizes is himself a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.  He spoke highly about the standard of entry and the confidence of the youngsters. He said: “Taking part in competitions like this will help the youngsters with their communication skills should they choose to go to university in the future.”

The three judges were Chesterfield Rotary vocational service chairman Ian Gordon and president Ann Elliott and past-president Margaret Mitchell of the Inner Wheel Club of Chesterfield. The main organizer and compere was Chesterfield Rotary past-president David Windle.

Chesterfield Inner Wheel president Anne Elliott, who felt it was an honour to be a judge, praised the teachers and parents for supporting the children in their quest to read poetry.  She told the audience: “I am amazed at the talent so the choice of a winner was difficult due to the high standard of the entrants.”

She added that: “There are no losers here as all the children have gained by the experience.”

Group picture of all the entrants, judges, and organisers