Barlby High blogger bags prize

A schoolgirl from Barlby has beaten fellow bloggers to scoop first prize in a competition run by Selby District Council and Minster FM.

Year 11 student, Beth Hopwood, from Barlby High School has come out on top in a blog writing competition which is part of the Council’s ‘Don’t be a Waster – Reduce, Reuse, Respect’ campaign which highlights how we can tackle the issue of litter in our communities.

Beth’s winning entry wins her a work placement in the Minster FM newsroom and with the council’s marketing team. She will also receive some bowling vouchers and a signed copy of Matt Haig’s new book.

Beth’s classmates also enjoyed success with their blog entries, with nine out of the top ten shortlisted entrants in the competition coming from Barlby High. All shortlisted entries will be displayed at the ‘Reading Festival’ at Selby Abbey which takes place between 26-30 March.

The other shortlisted entrants, all from Barlby High, were: Bethany Wilson, Lauren Shirley, Leah Palmer, Natalie McCowliff, Emma Nicholl, Amy Smith, Sarah Tunstall and Iona Walker.

Teacher of English at Barlby High School, Gemma Day, said “I’m really proud of Beth and the other shortlisted students. They’ve done so well!

“All the students completed a three-week, research-based unit focused on Recycling and non-fictional/transactional writing styles including ‘Blogs’ in our English classes and then delivered a presentation about their findings. They all immersed themselves in the subject and did some great fact-finding. We’re clearly very lucky to have such great writers at Barlby High!”

When asked about her win, Beth commented “I’m really pleased to have won and am very thankful for this opportunity. I believe that the writing competition is a great way for young people to discuss local issues.”

The competition was judged by award-winning local children’s author Christina Gabbitas, who said about Beth’s work: “Elizabeth has researched well and has used the research to write an interesting flowing article that captures the subject matter very well. The statistics will certainly encourage individuals to think about discarding litter and make them think.”

Beth is currently studying for her GCSEs so will take up work placement opportunities during the summer.

28 January 2019

Competition winner Beth Hopwood is pictured below with David Green from Minster FM, English teacher Gemma Day, Cllr Chris Pearson and judge Christina Gabbitas.