The BBC’s 500 Words competition has returned for another year and Will Grigg visited Mary Swanwick Primary School last week to see how pupils were getting along with their entries.
The Trust’s chief operating officer, Jayne Bacon, said: “It’s been a magical day. The BBC 500 words competition has historically been won by children who do write (often).
“We wanted to use the power of the badge to really inspire kids who find that writing doesn’t come easy to them.
“We’ve given them an opportunity to come here today to a workshop with lots of art therapy, music, being out in nature – being really creative and getting those imaginations going.
“The moment that Will Grigg arrived – wow! The reaction of the kids was just something special.
“Will sat with them, he read their stories, he spent lots of time with them and I’m hoping that Will was inspired by it too.
“There was a golden thread in all of their stories and that was football. Will did appear as a hero in a lot of their stories, so some of the kids have met their idol today.”
The 500 Words competition aims to inspire kids of all skill levels to unleash their creativity and write a creative story in 500 words or less – without worrying about spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes.
Jayne added: “We need people to believe in us and that’s what I think football, the power of the badge and the Community Trust can really bring.
“It does bring that aspiration and inspiration that we find in some of these kids. We’ve got young people here today who’ve got ADHD, autism, but actually their minds and their stories are really powerful.
“It’s been an emotional day, an exciting day and a day that these kids will treasure forever.”
The EFL’s director of community, Debbie Cook, was also in attendance and Jayne emphasised the importance of her visit, saying: “The EFL have been really behind this competition – it’s them that brought it to the table.
“For Debbie to come today in her busy schedule at short notice, to see the power of the badge and the community, is really fantastic.”
