A WRITING competition for young people was devised and run by The Winkleigh Society in the Autumn.

It was a new venture for the Society and resulted in an impressive 49 entries.

The stories had to be based around the bronze seal that was unearthed in a Winkleigh garden more than 20 years ago.

The seal belonged to Thomas Barret, an Archdeacon at Exeter Cathedral in the 17th century.

The budding authors had to weave their stories around how the seal came to rest in Winkleigh. There were two categories, primary and senior.

Penny Griffiths, Chair of The Winkleigh Society, explained: "We were fortunate to call on three judges (all local published authors); Shirley Cowling, Dan Beazley and Dave Watkins.

"The standard of the pieces was very high which made for difficult decision making. Names had been removed from the entries and replaced by a number to ensure anonymity.

"All of the entries were meticulously read through and graded, winning entries decided."

The results were: Primary group - 1 Soren Moreby, 2 Lola Fitzsimmons. Highly commended - Ethan Watkins and Emma Woolacott.

Seniors - 1 Abby Williams, 2 Mary Lucas Ridge. Highly commended - Ciara Blacker and Florence Cutler.

The prize giving took place at the Saturday market in the village hall on December 2.

Penny added that Winkleigh was fortunate to have a number of talented young authors in the area, adding that they deserved all the encouragement possible.

Alan Quick