The winning entry in a new competition introduced in honour of the late Daphne Peters, was announced at the landmark 950th meeting of Ripon Writers’ Group.

The group was set up more than 40 years ago by the internationally-famous children’s author and poet, whose work was published under her maiden name Daphne Lister

Group secretary and former chair, Maggie Cobbett, told the Stray Ferret:

“As we reached another milestone, it seemed a fitting occasion to announce the first winner of our Writing for Children competition, inaugurated in memory of Daphne.”

She added:

“Our adjudicator was Claire Thompson, outreach librarian for Ripon and Pateley Bridge, who has a special interest in children’s literature and literacy, who said that she had thoroughly enjoyed reading the entries.

“The pieces submitted had been so diverse that it had been difficult to compare them, but she selected Ros Swaney’s Dusty the Cupboard Monster as the winner, with second place going to Pip’s Story by Ella Benigno and St Wilfrid written by Peter Page in third.”

Last week’s meeting was also the final one for writers’ group chair and award-winning author Ian Gouge, before he and his family move to Lincolnshire and attendees thanked him for his significant input to the group’s programme.

For more than 40 years a Ripon group has provided a platform which has enabled writers, ranging from novices to published novelists, to develop their talent and share their thoughts with like-minded people.

Now, with the disruption of covid lockdowns behind it, Ripon Writers Group is looking to attract new members to the twice-monthly meetings it holds at St Wilfrid’s Community Centre. The next meeting is on Wednesday evening (February 8).

RWG was launched in 1982 by Daphne Peters whose stories and poetry for children, published under her maiden name of Daphne Lister, gained international acclaim.

Following her death in April 2020, long-term member and award-winning author Maggie Cobbett said:

“Daphne was always interested to hear what the rest of us had been working on and unstinting in her encouragement.

“I loved to hear her reading her own poems, whether comical or whimsical, in her own inimitable style and will miss that very much.

“Ripon Writers’ Group will never be quite the same without Daphne, but I know that she will be counting on us to continue what she started all those years ago.”

RWG continues with Ms Peters’ husband Joe as its president and Ian Gouge as chairman.

Publisher Mr Gouge (pictured above), who is also writer in residence at Ripon Library, was the 2022 winner of the highly-prized Swanwick Short Story Competition.

In liaison with fellow committee members, he has introduced new elements to the events programme, including a ‘flash fiction’ activity called All Write on the Night.

Mr Gouge, said:

“The aim is to make our meetings thought-provoking, stimulating and enjoyable and create an atmosphere in which all attendees gain from the the shared experience.”

Two-time Swanwick prize winner Ms Cobbett, whose latest book My ‘Extra’ Life was published in August, added:

“We are a friendly group seeking new members from the Ripon area and beyond .

“Whether their interest is in poetry or prose, novels, short stories, plays, wacky humour or, a more analytical style of writing, they will be made most welcome.”

Prolific Ripon author, poet and creative writer Maggie Cobbett will be among those in attendance when the Write-On Ripon open mic event returns on Thursday evening after a short break.

Maggie, one of the city’s best-known authors, told the Stray Ferret:

“Our ‘cavern of creativity’ as we call the cellar area at Curzon Cinema, is proving a great meeting place for all kinds of  writers.

“The open mic evenings staged so far have attracted a broad base of talent, from first-time novelists to people seeking a platform to read out work jotted down in a notepad.”

Event organiser, creative writer and the founder of Ripon Spookers, Dion Child, said:

“It’s marvellous to have experienced and published authors like Maggie at our open mic evenings.

“I’m sure that those who are new to writing benefit from her friendly advice, while enjoying listening to her reading out poems and extracts from her books.

“We took a break in June because of the platinum jubilee and I suspect that the sights and sounds of that wonderful four days of celebration in the city will be reflected in some of the pieces that we hear on Thursday.”

The event, at Curzon Cinema on North Street, free to attend and runs from 7.30pm until 10pm

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Ripon’s support for refugees

The generosity of Ripon’s citizens has been seen in many ways across the city, as the community has rallied to the call for help from the people of Ukraine.

Regular collections have been taken by the Rotary Club of Ripon as part of a UK-wide appeal in support of Ukraine.

In a sign of solidarity, the flag of Ukraine continues to fly on Ripon Town Hall

The Magdalens pub on Princess Road has also held two major fundraising events in support of the a gofundme page launched by the Edwards family.

Son Lewis and his Ukrainian partner Tanya Bogdanovska, along with eight friends, set up a shelter in Slovakia in late February to assist refugees and the humanitarian work continues, with money raised in Ripon.

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A target of £20,000 has been exceeded and Lewis’ mother, Ali Edwards, said :

“We have no further fundraisers planned and would like to thank the many kind-hearted people, whose donations of money, raffle prizes, facilities and time, helped us from day one.”

She pointed out:

“Though Lewis and Tanya are no longer in Slovakia, the programme that they helped to set up, is continuing to support women, children and men over the age of 60 who have been forced to flee Ukraine. “