Wild About Britain winners announced

Press release: Thursday, 14 March 2013

Stories about a fox cub chased by hounds and a baby red squirrel whose hazelnuts were stolen by a grey have won a wildlife-themed short story competition launched by the RSPCA.

An independent panel of judges which including Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham, national journalists and children book illustrators chose the winners of the Wild About Britain competition.

They named ‘The Chase’ by Ayasha Kawakita, 14, from Hailsham in East Sussex as the winner of 12 to 16 category and ‘A New Neighbour’ by Charlotte Pearce, 11, from St Ives in Cambridgeshire as the winner of the 11 and under group.

Dave Allen, Head of Education for the RSPCA, said: "It was a pure pleasure to judge this competition - the children really let their imaginations go wild and connect with the hedgehogs, hares and other creatures they wrote about. I loved getting lost in their animal worlds which were by turns funny, quirky and at times rather moving.

"The winning story in the older category was beautifully written and incredibly haunting. Ayasha really puts herself in Api's shoes and imagines the frantic terror the little cub would have felt to be chased by a hunt.

"The story which won the younger category was a completely but equally different style. Charlotte showed a brilliant sense of comedy, dialogue and character while telling the tale of some cheeky squirrels who stole each others' hazelnuts."

‘Hare’s Birthday’ by Louis Baxter Wedderburn, 11, from Wolverhampton won the People’s Choice category, voted for online by the public, with his colourful comedy about a catastrophe-ridden birthday party.
 

The RSPCA launched the Wild About Britain short story contest on World Animal Day in October last year, inspired by classic bedtime tales such as Wind in the Willows, Peter Rabbit and Fantastic Mr Fox. Entries had to feature an animal or animals from British wildlife and be no longer than 500 words.

As part of their prize, the winners of each category had their stories transformed into images by well-known children’s illustrators David Roberts (illustrator of Frankie Stein’s Robot), Paul Howard’s (illustrator of the Bugville series) and Rebecca Cobb (illustrator of ‘Lunchtime’).
 

The frightening, dreamlike mood of ‘The Chase’ was brought to life by the eerie sketch by David Roberts; Paul Howard’s idyllic portrait of Rusty the red squirrel reflected the softer mood of ‘A New Neighbour’; and the chaotic celebration in ‘Hare’s Birthday’ was given comic flair by Rebecca Cobb.

To read the full stories along with information about the silver and bronze award winners in each category, visit www.wildaboutbritain.org.uk.

Notes to editors

• For further details including copies of the illustrations and interviews with the winners please call the press office on 0300 123 0244/0288 or email katya.mira@rspca.org.uk.
• More information about prizes and to see the stories in full please visit www.wildaboutbritain.org.uk
• Full list of the winners are: 12-16 Age Category: Gold – Ayasha Kawakita aged 14, The Chase, Silver – Hayley Goddard aged 15, Sky Assassin, Bronze – Ellen Willott aged 13, Night Flight
• 11 and Under Category: Gold – Charlotte Pearce aged 11, A New Neighbour; Silver – Gregory Colwell-Hector aged 9, Gerald the Grumpy Tree; Bronze – Aurora Marriage aged 7, The Hedgehog’s Invitation
• People’s Choice Winner (chosen by the public through the website): Louis Baxter Wedderburn aged 11, Hare's Birthday.
• More information is available on request about the three illustrators.