Blanchelande students perform at the Globe Theatre in London
WINNING an international poetry competition provided two Blanchelande students with the opportunity to perform in front of an audience of 900 at the Globe Theatre in London.
Hollie Vennard and Amelie Waters, both 11, were victorious in the international freestyle section of the ‘Poetry By Heart’ competition, with their recital of ‘Timothy Winters’ by Charles Causley seeing them beat entries from as far afield as Singapore, the Czech Republic and France.
Teacher Jane Grange, who accompanied the girls to London, said that the performance had tied into the school’s overall aim of helping students become more confident in their presentation skills.
‘We were looking at and applying for a range of different competitions. When it came to applying for "Poetry By Heart’’ it’s fair to say the girls found it a bit scary because they had no experience of performing in front of people before, but they were still really enthusiastic to do it.’
Timothy Winters, a poem about a young boy facing the challenges of post-war deprivation, was chosen from the competition’s anthology by the girls, who learnt it off by heart in preparation for their entry to the competition.
Mrs Grange helped them come up with actions to accompany the recital.
‘The girls had to be videoed and then we sent off their performance to the competition’s judges. We couldn’t believe it when we heard back saying that they had won.’
The prize for winning the international section of the competition was the chance to perform the winning recital at the Globe Theatre, with about 200 students also performing on the day.
‘When we arrived at the event Hollie and Amelie were very nervous and there were a few tears beforehand, but they pulled together and got some practice in before giving a brilliant performance,’ Mrs Grange said.
She paid tribute to both girls, and said she was very proud of both of them.
‘It takes real courage to learn and perform a poem, firstly in front of your peers and class, then in front of the whole school, and then hundreds of strangers in London.
‘Naturally they are quite shy girls so the fact they put themselves forward and found the confidence to do it is amazing.’
She hoped that their success would lead to a similar competition being organised locally.
‘It would be good to have a Guernsey event beforehand, with the winners of that then going on to perform at the Globe.
‘The girls are keen to apply again, and it’s fair to say all the students and teachers have been hugely inspired by their success.’
