A NUMBER of pupils of an East Cornwall primary school came out on top of a recent competition by Gorsedh Kernow.

The council of Gorsedh Kernow announced the results of its annual adults and under 18s competitions recently and Calstock Primary School pupils featured highly among the winners.

Grand Bard Maureen Fuller said: ‘We try to encourage people of all ages, adults and children, to take a keen interest in all things Cornish and have a go at expressing how they feel about our precious culture through prose, poetry, music, art and media and the resulting entries reflect just how far and widespread their love for Cornwall is.’

The wide appeal of the competitions is reflected in all the results, as some first prize winners of the adults competitions live outside Cornwall.

Mrs Fuller said: ‘This year we have slightly changed the criteria for the children’s classes to encompass new media and it’s good to see that so many schools have responded with brilliant entries. I would like to particularly thank pupils and staff of Calstock School who this year are being awarded the Tallyour Trophy for a consistently high standard of competition entries over several years.’

Calstock CP School pupils who won awards were: William Southcott, Crida Cup (verse on a Cornish subject, 8 to 11 years), highly commended; Hattie Pollard, Crida Cup, commended; Tegen Young, Scholar Shield (prose on a Cornish subject, 8 - 11 years), first place; Lizzie Matthews Brown, Scholar Shield, joint third place; Jonathan Branfield-Earp, Archie Chalk, Alice Pollard, Greta Spake Urwin, Eliza Thomas-Hegarty, Scholar Shield, all highly commended; Daisy Barker, Neo Budge, Heather Clarke, Claye Stapleton, Tegen Young, Scholar Shield, all commended; Ellathea Hardy, Bard Shield (prose on a Cornish subject, 7 years and under), highly commended; Max Russell, Bard Shield, commended; Bluebell Yoshihara-Coles, Howldrehevel Shield (art and media on a Cornish theme, 8 to 11 years), first place; Greta Spake Urwin, Howldrehevel Shield, third place; Alice Pollard and Tarik Young, Howldrehevel Shield, both highly commended.

Competition winners will be presented with their prizes at this year’s Gorsedh Kernow ceremony in St Austell on September 5, alongside the initiation of 20 new bards and the presentation of Gorsedh Kernow’s special awards.

The supreme prize of the Mordon-Caradar Rosebowl or the Cornish Crystal will be awarded to the most outstnading entry in the Cornish language competition classes and the winner will be announced at the Bardic ceremony.

All the winning entries for 2015 will be on display in St Austell during the Gorsedh Kernow Esedhvos Festival of Cornish Culture.