A TAVISTOCK church is now filled with more than one thousand poems — becoming one of the first churches in the world to fill its pews with poetry. More than 400 people attended the Poetry in the Pews evening held at St Eustachius Church on Wednesday, February 13 — an event which included readings and music by Flute Cocktail and women's choir Vocal Harem. Organiser Vanni Cook had received 1,010 four-line poems at the competition deadline on January 31, compared with the 688 originally needed in order to fill all 86 pews in the church with eight poems each pew, on the theme 'love'. Entries for the competition came from all over England as well as from Algeria, Australia, Canada, Italy, Morocco, New Zealand, Tasmania, Lithuania, Ireland, Scotland, France, United States and Moldova. Vanni said: 'The children's poetry judges were thrilled with the range and quality of the poetry and found it a very hard task to select winners.' She said the judges for the adult competition faced an equally challenging task. All the entries were submitted to the judges with only their number to identify them. First prize for the adult section was number 289 by Dorothy Pope from Middlesex. Her poem read: I gaze at my new sapphire ring And see the cornflowers That you gave me In the kissing fields of youth. Number 174 by FW from Tavistock and number 139 by Mary Beddall from Tavistock were both second place. Runners up were Lorraine Dawson from Bury, Lancs, LW from Tavistock, Rose from Modbury, Patsy Robinson from Petersfield, Hants and Ian Jenkins from Tavistock. There was no overall winner for the childrens' section of the competition but five children were chosen as winners. They were: Jack Childs-Watson, aged 11, from East Haddon: Mum of many talents Other mums cannot compare Things like hugs are simple gifts Everything you do for me is simply the best. David Farmer, 11, from St Andrew's School, Buckland Monachorum: Love is a volcano: It erupts and spreads its power; A red hot molten glow, That melts your heart. Melanie Zelinda Brown, 10, Lady Modiford's School, Walkhampton: Loving pets or family members, is definitely not the same, As loving a piece of furniture or latest video game, Loving someone is easy when they are here today, But the love for someone who's gone won't ever go away. Mariah Calvert, St Peter's School, Tavistock: We open the gate to the path of love, Soaring magnificently like a dove, Sharing the love round and round, Love is worth more than a million pound. Ella Waddington, 13, from Tavistock College: What is this thing called love, Where so many people are left behind? And why is love so easy to lose, And yet, so hard to find? The poems will be on display at the church until Monday. It is hoped to produce an anthology of the entrants in future.
