Youngsters get writing thanks to Shrewsbury firm

Children at a Shropshire school will be setting pen to paper to mark World Stationery Day – with a little incentive from a county company.

Longnor School, near Shrewsbury, has teamed up with Chrisbeon Office Supplies to stage a writing competition.

The youngsters are being asked to get their thinking caps on and come up with a journey-themed story to impress judge Lorna McCann, the Shropshire-based author of Wendy and the Biscuit Tree and Felix – The Small Boy With The Big Imagination.

Stationery prizes, supplied by Chrisbeon, will be presented to one pupil from each of the three age categories – years one and two, years three and four, and years five and six.

Chrisbeon, a family-run firm, has 44 years’ experience in designing and installing offices and selling furniture and stationery supplies. It has showrooms on Stafford Park, Telford, and Lancaster Road, Shrewsbury.

Richard Hughes, of Chrisbeon, said: “World Stationery Day may not be something many people are generally aware of, but it encourages people to ‘get writing’ so we decided to mark this year’s event by arranging a story-writing competition.

“It’s a day that reminds us about the importance of the written word and the things associated with that – stationery.

“It’s these products that make writing possible and it’s good to remember these things as we turn more and more to the world of digital.”

World Stationery Day is marked on the last Wednesday in April each year and aims to get people writing and thinking more about sending letters or cards rather than emails or texting.

“We thought we would get the creative juices flowing by asking the pupils to come up with a story – and we are really looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

“We are asking the youngsters to come up with stories that are no more than 500 words on a journey theme so the possibilities there are endless.”

Former Shropshire Star journalist, and now local author, Lorna McCann has agreed to act as judge for the competition and will be making her decision after the March 9 deadline and awarding the prizes on April 25 – World Stationery Day 2018.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to have been asked to judge this competition and I'm very much looking forward to reading the children's entries,” said Lorna.

“I'm hoping they are going to take me on some very exciting and magical journeys with their story ideas.

“I think it's fantastic that local businesses such as Chrisbeon are involved with the community and teaming up with schools to encourage children to write creatively is such a wonderful idea."