CALLING all aspiring, young writers - the Charles Causley Trust has just launched its 2022 Young Person’s Poetry Competition.

Charles Stanley Causley CBE FRSL (1917-2003) was a renowned Launceston-born poet, school teacher and writer whose work is often noted for its simplicity and directness as well as its associations with folklore, legends and magic, especially when linked to his native Cornwall.

He made many television and radio appearances over the post-war period, particularly for the BBC in the West Country, and as the presenter for many years of the BBC Radio 4 series Poetry Please. He corresponded with and was well-acquainted with such notable writers as Siegfried Sassoon, A. L. Rowse, Susan Hill, Jack Clemo and Ted Hughes (his closest friend)—and a host of other figures from the literary, publishing and wider cultural spheres around the world, as well the South West

The Charles Causley Trust, a registered charity, exists to celebrate his life and work and promote new literature activity in the community and region in which he lived. In 2006, the trust secured Cyprus Well, the poet’s small house in Launceston, for the nation and to provide a facility for a varied programme of activities, including residencies for writers of all kinds, artists and musicians, as well as other heritage events. These promote both Causley’s life and work, and the arts in general—especially across Cornwall and Devon.

Since 2010, annual Charles Causley Festivals have taken place in Launceston, held over a long weekend. Festival programmes encompass literature, music, art and a variety of other fields for adults, families and children, featuring performers and other contributors from the local area, the region, the whole of the UK, and even world-wide.

Charles Causley wrote prolifically for adults and for young people and much of his inspiration came from what was going on around him in his hometown of Launceston. In celebration of this, the trust’s annual competition is open to young, aspiring writers throughout the UK and seeks to encourage young people to get involved with creative writing.

The trust launched its 2022 Young Person’s Poetry Competition at its Mother’s Boy book launch weekend, in partnership with Sunday Times bestselling author Patrick Gale. As he has been Trust Patron for several years and is the ultimate Charles Causley enthusiast, the trust says it is thrilled to have Patrick Gale as this year’s head competition judge.

This year’s competition theme is ‘Home’, reflecting the influences of Charles Causley’s hometown of Launceston in his work. Aspiring writers aged five to 18 years old and living in the UK can enter one poem under this theme. The competition is free to enter and the deadline for submissions is midnight on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

Young people can enter the competition through their school, as part of a group, or as an individual.

Poems will be judged by Patrick Gale and a panel of poetry judges, with prizes being awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Highly Commended places in each category. This year the Trust will also be having an honourable mention for a young poet based in Cornwall.

The awards will be presented at the North Cornwall Book Festival on Friday, September 23, 2022, but an alternative digital event will be organised if there are any restrictions on public gatherings at that time.

For more information, please see The Charles Causley Trust website at https://causleytrust.org/the-2021-charles-causley-young-persons-poetry-competition/