'A Poem to Remember' - national poetry competition

[seaJane]

Don't shoot the messenger! This came up on the intranet at work.

sJ

 

The Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) has launched a national poetry competition to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War and celebrate the creation of a world-leading clinical rehabilitation facility.

 

The competition, called ‘A Poem to Remember’, is inspired by the Great War Poets of the First World War and looks to discover the next generation of poems that reflect on humankind’s ability to triumph over adversity.

 

The best five poems will be chosen by a panel of high-profile judges, chaired by historian and broadcaster Dan Snow and including SAS veteran and best-selling novelist Andy McNab. The final winner will be decided by public vote and will be read by HRH The Duke of Cambridge at a special event at the new Defence facility this summer. In addition, the winner will have their poem installed at the DNRC and receive a £2,000 cash prize. A series of poetry workshops and events are being planned across the country in conjunction with the competition to inspire people to put pen to paper.

 

The Duke of Cambridge, Patron of DNRC said:

“The centenary year of the end of the First World War is a very appropriate year to be launching a national poetry prize. Many of the memories of that conflict, and our understanding of it, have been shaped by the remarkable works of poetry written by those caught up in that struggle. I, like countless other readers over the decades since the war, have always been moved by sentiments invoked by these brave young soldiers. That is why – as Patron of the appeal to build the Defence National Rehabilitation Centre - I am delighted to help launch this competition to find a new poem that, inspired by those earlier works, will have its own modern-day perspective on service, conflict and humankind’s ability to overcome adversity. I am greatly looking forward to reading the winning entry.”

 

The competition is being officially supported by many leading poetry organisations and military charities including the Poetry Society, Poet in the City, the War Poets Association, the Wilfred Owen Association, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Help for Heroes, the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, Style for Soldiers, and Walking with the Wounded.

 

For further details on how to enter please visit the website: https://www.thednrc.org.uk/whats-happening-on-now/we-are-fundraising/a-poem-to-remember.aspx 
 

The DNRC programme is the late Duke of Westminster’s vehicle to deliver his vision of a pan-Government rehabilitation capability for Defence and the Nation, through the Black Stork Charity, on the Stanford Hall Estate near Loughborough.  It will provide a state-of the-art facility that will ensure the continued provision of world-leading rehabilitation for our sick and injured Service personnel. The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre will move from its current location at Headley Court to the Stanford Hall Estate later this year.

 

You can follow the development of the Defence facility at https://www.thednrc.org.uk/