Edinburgh writer wins national competition
The annual competition runs in conjunction with the prestigious Branford Boase Award which recognises a debut children's author and their editor. It was set up in memory of the outstanding children's writer Henrietta Branford and the gifted editor, Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books. The competition aims to find and encourage writers of the future, something Henrietta Branford was always keen to do.
The award is open to anyone under the age of 19 and every year organisers say there are sackfuls of entries from all over the country. This year, inspired by last year's winner, author Nathanael Lessore (Steady For This, King Of Nothing, What Happens Online) entrants were asked to write a story that would make the judges laugh.
Called An Unexpected Fashion Statement Charlotte's story follows an unknown fashion model who suddenly finds herself pushed on to the catwalk to cover for a missing colleague. The poor girl is, in turn, bewildered, embarrassed and humiliated but eventually she escapes and runs through the streets to hide in her apartment. Could it be that the whole incident was a clever publicity stunt?
Competition judge Prue Goodwin said: 'This is a great concept and very well written! Charlotte shows real assurance in the writing, and we loved the laughter-in-spite-of-cringing element to the story.'
Nathanael Lessore was also hugely impressed by the winning stories. He said: 'Writing funny stories is not easy, but Charlotte came up with a brilliant idea and her passion for storytelling leaps off the page too. Congratulations, Charlotte!'
Charlotte's story is available to read on the Branford Boase Award website here. She also won a set of the six books on the shortlist for the 2025 Branford Boase Award signed by their authors.
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Reporter
15 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Edinburgh writer wins national competition
A young Edinburgh writer, 12-year-old Charlotte Hennessey, has won first prize in a national writing competition for young people, the Henrietta Branford Writing Competition. The annual competition runs in conjunction with the prestigious Branford Boase Award which recognises a debut children's author and their editor. It was set up in memory of the outstanding children's writer Henrietta Branford and the gifted editor, Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books. The competition aims to find and encourage writers of the future, something Henrietta Branford was always keen to do. The award is open to anyone under the age of 19 and every year organisers say there are sackfuls of entries from all over the country. This year, inspired by last year's winner, author Nathanael Lessore (Steady For This, King Of Nothing, What Happens Online) entrants were asked to write a story that would make the judges laugh. Called An Unexpected Fashion Statement Charlotte's story follows an unknown fashion model who suddenly finds herself pushed on to the catwalk to cover for a missing colleague. The poor girl is, in turn, bewildered, embarrassed and humiliated but eventually she escapes and runs through the streets to hide in her apartment. Could it be that the whole incident was a clever publicity stunt? Competition judge Prue Goodwin said: 'This is a great concept and very well written! Charlotte shows real assurance in the writing, and we loved the laughter-in-spite-of-cringing element to the story.' Nathanael Lessore was also hugely impressed by the winning stories. He said: 'Writing funny stories is not easy, but Charlotte came up with a brilliant idea and her passion for storytelling leaps off the page too. Congratulations, Charlotte!' Charlotte's story is available to read on the Branford Boase Award website here. She also won a set of the six books on the shortlist for the 2025 Branford Boase Award signed by their authors. Like this: Like Related
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Rod Stewart baffles fans with bizarre Ozzy Osbourne tribute as performance is branded 'disrespectful'
Rod Stewart has sparked outrage after incorporating a 'disrespectful' Ozzy Osbourne tribute into his shows. The Scottish singer, 80, is currently on tour and since the news of Ozzy's death last month he has been dedicating Forever Young to the late rocker - with a picture of the Black Sabbath singer flashing up on the screen. Yet in recent days he has ramped up the tribute - and is now showing a bizarre AI-generated video - which shows Ozzy in heaven taking selfies with other late, legendary singers. Taking to Instagram, one concertgoer at his show in Charlotte, North Carolina, shared a video of the footage and penned: 'Yes the rumors are true: I went to a Rod Stewart concert last night (lol) and witnessed man made horrors beyond my comprehension. 'Ozzy Osbourne with a selfie stick in heaven smiling with Tina Turner, Bob Marley, Prince, and… XXXTentacion.' Adding to the tribute, Rod reportedly told the crowd after the performance: 'Very sad. A lot of those people died 'cause of drugs… I'm still here, though!' The video sparked immediate outrage, with fans penning: ''why is this disrespectful?' i'm going to use AI to make a video of your dead grandma breakdancing in heaven with princess diana and put it on a giant screen as part of my tour that people paid money to see and i'm gonna do it without your knowledge or permission'; 'This is a crime that should be prosecuted to the fullest extent'; 'Good idea: pay tribute to Ozzy and his friends in heaven. Bad Idea: Making an AI-generated video with his dead friends/members'; 'Prince was 100% against this type of technology. He made that very clear while he was alive. This is all very much so in poor taste!'; Not everyone was offended, however, with one user posting: 'This is such a beautiful video. One that makes you think that he has reunited by legendary musicians who we have lost. 'There's not a single ounce of disrespect in it. There's already a bunch of videos that have been made following his passing with musicians, Jesus, with his dogs / cats, on bikes with bat wings but this one is the best version I've seen so far. 'Why the hate. People would criticise anything till they can criticise Thank you Rod ❤️HATE THE WAR not a peaceful happy video'. Another added: 'Distasteful, yes. Do I hate it? No. The gesture is coming from a good place, but it could have been done in a better way. I would have preferred it each each of their pictures get added one by one to a group picture like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band.' While many had feared that Ozzy's family would be offended by the video, after its release, the late star's official account reposted a tribute shared by Rod on July 22. The post read: 'Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend. I'll see you up there — later rather than sooner.' MailOnline has contacted Rod's team for comment. While many had feared that Ozzy's family would be offended by the video, after its release, the late star's official account reposted a tribute shared by Rod on July 22 Ozzy passed away 'surrounded by love' on July 22 a statement from his family confirmed. The Osbourne family penned: 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.' On Wednesday huge crowds gathered in Birmingham to pay their respects to the Prince of Darkness during his funeral procession The hearse carrying the singer's coffin - adorned with purple flowers spelling out 'Ozzy' - passed the star's childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston and travelled towards the Black Sabbath Bridge bench. The following day, Ozzy was buried in the grounds of his own mansion in Buckinghamshire - as he had said he desired. His widow Sharon, 72, and their children were joined by heavy rock royalty at the event at the family's home near Gerrards Cross, where he was being laid to rest near a lake at the heart of the sprawling 250-acre estate. Speaking in 2011 about how he imagined his future send-off, the Black Sabbath legend said: 'I honestly don't care what they play at my funeral. 'They can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and We Are The Diddymen if it makes 'em happy. 'But I do want to make sure it's a celebration, not a mope-fest.'
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I'm a professional cleaner and there's one thing people like me wouldn't touch'
Cleaning the home involves working on numerous rooms, surfaces, objects and furniture and one professional has shared how she tackles a device that many people are reluctant to touch A professional cleaner has shared how she works on a common household device that many cleaners would be hesitant to touch. One task we all have to do is cleaning as no one enjoys having a dirty home but with multiple rooms, surfaces and objects to polish, it's not always that easy. This is why some people like to have their property cleaned by a professional cleaner, who knows how to get the job done well. Some people might have less time to keep their home in order due to having a busy work schedule and others might just prefer to hire an expert. Charlotte is a house cleaner who shares advice, tips and tutorials on TikTok. She recently shared a video on the social media platform showing how she cleans a TV. The professional cleaner said: 'So there's two things that most cleaners absolutely point blank refuse to clean or even touch, one of them being Lego, which we all know, and the other being TVs. 'This is my own TV. I'm going to show you exactly how I clean TVs in my own home and in clients' homes as well.' Charlotte uses a magnetic duster for this task and makes sure there's nothing stuck to it, including debris or anything that could scratch the screen, an E-Cloth glass cloth and a little bit of water. She added: 'So you may be thinking why on earth do you need to touch TV screens anyway? They don't even get dirty but as you can see, even though mine is mounted on the wall it is covered in fly poo and this is not something I want to see on my television screen so we're going to get it cleaned off.' Her first step is to use the magnetic duster to clean all around the TV to remove any surface dust and clean behind the TV, ensuring you won't transfer any surface dust onto the screen but she noted that this is optional. Next Charlotte applies a bit of water to one half of the glass cloth and 'very gently' wipes down the TV screen working from one side to the other. She mentioned that it is 'very important' to be gentle and not apply any pressure to the screen at all. Wiping the screen helps to remove fingerprints, such as by young children. She uses the cloth to get rid of fly poo and any smudges or marks. The cleaning expert goes over the screen very gently back and forth until all the marks are removed. She continued: 'And because I am applying very little pressure you can see it has taken me a little while just to get all those marks off but they are now all clear and then I just work my way around the edge of the TV as well.' Charlotte showed that her TV had no marks remaining on the screen and no scratches or damage after she cleaned it. She mentioned that there are many screen cleaners available on the market so she recommended trying one of them if you would feel more comfortable. In the caption of her post, the professional cleaner explained: 'It's quite well known that the majority of cleaners do not touch or clean TV's! 'This is absolutely fine and as business owners we can decide what we are comfortable cleaning and set our own rules and T&C's.' Charlotte discusses with her clients if they would like to have their TVs cleaner before touching them and she has found that most of them are 'very keen.' She also gave some key points to take away from her video, including that it is not necessary to clean a TV unless it is visibly dirty, never spray anything directly onto the screen and the cloth should be 'very lightly damp.'
