Young people across East Cambridgeshire are being given the opportunity to write a poem to help celebrate King Charles III’s Coronation.

The competition is being run by East Cambridgeshire District Council over the Easter holidays, with under 18s being asked to compose an illustrated poem entitled 'if I were King Charles for the day'.

Twenty poems will be shortlisted by the council and transformed into a book which will be sent to the King to celebrate his Coronation in June.

Each shortlisted winner will also receive a copy of the book with the best three poems being awarded £50 of National Garden Gift Vouchers.

Councillor Julia Huffer, chair of the council’s operational service committee, said: “This is a great opportunity for anyone aged under 18 across the district to really think about what they would do if they were King Charles for the day.

“Would you just enjoy yourself eating ice cream at Buckingham Palace? Or would you take a similar approach to King Charles and raise awareness of disadvantaged communities or the environment?

“Perhaps you would like to fly to the moon, play football with the England team or spend time with someone who really inspires you – but remember you only have a day to do it.

“If I personally were King Charles for the day I’d declare a district wide day of fun where everyone would be encouraged to participate in outdoor activities and games with street parties, picnics and sports tournaments to bring everyone together alongside a talent show to highlight the amazing skills and talents of our residents.

“I would also use my royal powers to fundraise for local charities and community projects.

“We are committed to making our community a better place and sometimes that means letting our hair down and enjoying ourselves.

“We look forward to seeing some of the creative ideas from young minds across the district.”

The illustrated poems need to be in portrait format and no longer than one sheet for A4 paper or in an equivalent digital format. The council is accepting entries until 12pm on Friday April 21.

Entries can be submitted to the council office via post or by emailing comms@eastcambs.gov.uk.

Postal entries will need to be addressed to Communications Team and sent to East Cambridgeshire District Council, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE. Remember to include your name, age, address and contact telephone number or email.

Competition rules

1. The competition is to produce an illustrated poem entitled 'If I were King Charles for the day'.

2. The poem needs to be in portrait format, but should be no longer than one side of A4 paper or in an equivalent digital format.

3. The competition is open from now until 12:00pm on Friday 21 April.

4. All designs should be submitted to the Communications Team, East Cambridgeshire District Council, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely CB7 4EE (your school or club may wish to collect designs and send them all to the Council in one go) or email comms@eastcambs.gov.uk with the words poetry competition in the Subject box.

5. The competition only open to those aged 18 or under.

6. The winners will be announced on Wednesday April 26 and we will aim to have the winning entries turned into a book by the start of May.

7. Up to three winners will be selected and each will receive a £50 National Garden Scheme voucher.

Terms and Conditions

1. Entries are open to all those aged 18 or under.

2. Entries are restricted to one entry per person. If you are under the age of 16, you must obtain permission from your parent/guardian before entering. East Cambridgeshire District Council does not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.

3. The poem must be created on a portrait piece of A4 paper, or on an equivalent digital format.

4. The competition is open from now and ends at 12:00pm on Friday 21 April 2022.

5. All poems should be submitted to The Communications Team, East Cambridgeshire District Council at The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely CB7 4EE or emailed to: comms@eastcambs.gov.uk

6. All poems and illustrations should be the applicant’s own original work and not subject to copyright in any way.

7. All poems should be submitted with a name, age, address and contact telephone number or email.

8. Please note that entries will not be returned, therefore, make a copy if you wish to retain a copy.

9. The winners will be announced by East Cambridgeshire District Concil on Wednesday April 26.

10. The winners will be contacted by East Cambridgeshire District Council and confirmation of the winners’ names and ages will be published by East Cambridgeshire District Council in post-competition publicity. By submitting an entry, the applicant accepts that their name and age will be published in post-competition publicity.

11. East Cambridgeshire District Council’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The organisation and judging of this competition is controlled by East Cambridgeshire District Council and its decision is final in every situation including any not covered above and no correspondence will be entered into.

12. At all times, East Cambridgeshire District Council reserves the right in the event of circumstances arising outside of its control to cancel or change the competition at any stage.

13. Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and agree to be bound by them when entering this competition. East Cambridgeshire District Council reserves the right to refuse any entry which does not comply with these rules.

14. Up to three winners will be selected and each will receive a £50 National Garden Scheme voucher.