Mansfield youngsters asked to write poems to tackle food bank stigma

The Trussell Trust wants children, aged nine and under, to create and draw a hungry character and tell its story in the form of a short poem for its Bye Bye Hunger competition.

The top 20 entries will be published in a poetry book and one star prize winner will see their character brought to life in the charity’s campaign to end the need for food banks.

Deadline for entries is Sunday (May 30) and it is hoped that the poems written by children will help to reduce the stigma surrounding people using food banks and call for an end to hunger.

The competition launches at a time when a number of families in the Mansfield area are relying on food banks to feed their children – with the charity distributing 992 emergency food parcels for children facing crisis in the area between April 2020 and March 2021.

It says the competition will aim to continue the conversation around poverty and hunger and will encourage young people across Mansfield to call for a hunger-free future.

A panel of celebrity judges, including comedian Dom Joly, actress Tamzin Outhwaite and Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell have been chosen to select the winning entries.

They will be looking for children to showcase their imagination, use of language, emotion and storytelling in their poems.

To enter and for more information visit www.trusselltrust.org/poems.

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