Send us your ‘Welly’ poem

Rural poets – there’s still time to pen some verse, help support a good cause in the process and maybe even see it published in Farmers Weekly.

As part of National Welly Week, which will see a host of fundraising events taking place between 11-18 October, FW and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) is holding a poetry competition.

All you’ve got to do is write a poem called Ode to a Welly. What style it’s in, how long it is, and whether it’s serious or silly is up to you. There are two age categories: 15 and under, and 16 and over. So, if you’ve got kids who are interested in poetry, why not encourage them to enter?

One of the judges is countrywoman Pam Ayres, so it’ll be a chance to get your work seen by one of the nation’s favourite poets.

Email your entry to fwfarmlife@rbi.co.uk or post it to Farmlife, Farmers Weekly, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS. It has to arrive by 1 October, 2008.

Don’t forget to tell us which category you’re entering and include a daytime number (obviously, mums and dads can help children send their poems in!)

For more information on Welly Week and the work RABI does in rural areas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, see the RABI website.

* A new hardback edition of Pam’s book The Works – The Classic Collection has recently been published by BBC Books.