You might be surprised to learn that as many as one in four people are likely to have some direct link with adoption: they may be adopted, be adoptive parents, or birth parents whose children have been placed for adoption.

The North West specialist adoption agency – Adoption Matters North West – wants to use National Adoption Week 9-15 November to highlight the 3,500 children who are STILL in care and STILL waiting for the opportunity to have what most of us can take for granted – being part of a stable, secure and loving family. They include children from our own region.

Adoption Matters are offering a creative challenge for adults and children of all ages across the North West to prepare and submit a poem of 20 lines or less in any format or style on the theme of ‘Family’ reflecting the importance of family and family life.

Contributions from the north west counties will be judged in two age groups – over 18s and 17 years and younger. Winners for each area and each age group will be chosen for creativity and content by a panel of local representatives for each area such as Cheshire’s current Poet Laureate, W Terry Fox.

Poems can be in any style and should be under 20 lines in length. They also need to be in English and not previously published. Background on Adoption Matters Northwest’s work, complete with case studies can be found on the website at www.adoptionmattersnw.org

Each lucky winner will win £50 high street vouchers, have their poems published on the Adoption Matters Northwest national website and submitted to the local and national media as part of the National Adoption Week media campaign. Highly commended entrants will also be invited to a VIP poetry evening in Chester during National Adoption Week to hear selections of some of the poems as well as the first public performance of a poem written specially for the event by W Terry Fox.

Closing date for the competition is Tuesday 3 November. Entries can be emailed to adoption@dewinterpr.co.uk or posted to:
Adoption Poetry competition, De Winter PR,
Fidelity House
12a Stocks Lane
Chester CH3 5TF

Please make sure that all entries are clearly marked with your name and contact details and that you’re happy to be involved in publicity activity. Further details from Emma on 01244 320677.

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