Lord Provost and Poet Laureate encourage pupils to pen poems

Glasgow's First Citizen teamed up with the city's Poet Laureate to encourage Primary 7 pupils to enter the annual Lord Provost's Poetry Competition.

Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren and Glasgow's Poet Laureate Jim Carruth joined children from Highpark Primary at Ruchill Park to explore the power and importance of poetry. Star of stage and screen, the legendary Dorothy Paul had also popped in to talk about words and their value in the world of entertainment.

The Lord Provost said: "It was fun to meet up with pupils, find out about their favourite poems and chat about their ideas for the competition. This year's poetry theme is 'My Story' and everyone knows, Glaswegians like nothing better than a good story."

Jim Carruth said: "Glasgow is a city famous for its creativity. I know from experience, as a judge of this event, that our young people have a strong sense of belonging to Glasgow. They enjoy expressing these feelings through poetry.

"It's thrilling for me as a fellow-poet to read their poems which are always brimming with feelings of pride, wonder and a sense of fun and excitement. Words matter and it's wonderful to be part of this annual competition that recognises the value of the arts, particularly poetry.

"I believe we are all born poets with a wonderful appreciation of rhythm and rhyme from an early age. That is when I first fell in love with poetry and that love has grown as an adult. I am really looking forward to reading poems from all the young voices across this great city."