Stewarton Academy pupil wins war heroes poetry contest

Nov 6 2009 by Michael Pringle, Kilmarnock Standard

A STEWARTON Academy pupil has won a poetry competition run by a charity for veterans of the armed forces.

Jay Conning, 13, submitted his ‘War Heroes’ poem to the Combat Stress contest and it scooped the first prize in the secondary school section and won £125 for his class. He will now recite his poem when the winners will attend the charity's 90th anniversary concert tomorrow, Friday, November 6, at the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock.

Pupils were given a copy of ‘A Private World’ by the late Professor David Simpson as a template and asked to compose a poem about their thoughts on war. Combat Stress, the charity for veterans who have suffered mental health problems after returning from conflict, is commemorating its 90th anniversary this year.

Combat Stress fundraiser Clive Fairweather said: “It is very fitting that in our 90th Anniversary year East Ayrshire are informing the young and raising awareness of the terrible side effects of war through the medium of poetry.”

Provost Stephanie Young, who has chosen Combat Stress as her charity to support for the coming year, said: “All of the competition entries were of a very high standard and the winning poems are beautifully written. I look forward to hearing them being recited at the anniversary concert, which will go some way to raising funds for the charity's Scottish treatment centre based at Hollybush House.”

Tickets for the concert costs £5 each (discounts for groups of five or more, children free), and are available from the Grand Hall on 01563 559400.

In a special promotion those with tickets for the 50/50 concert the following day will be able to attend the Remembrance Concert free of charge if they present their tickets at the box office in advance.

War Heroes

Busy bees, bugs and butterflies

Look how my home made kite above sea level lies,

Brown paper, evening news, string and canes

Over fields, rivers and country lanes.

Left swoop right, held between my feet

Double loop, trouble free, birds swing sweet.

The Battle of Britain was a breeze

With my Spitfire kite thrashing the trees.

Now polished medals hang over crippled toes

Can't walk, but knows where and when the wind blows.

Bees bugs and butterflies still haunt the sky

Someday soon so will I.

By Jay Conning, Stewarton Academy