Around 60 children, parents and teachers gathered at the historic Sessions House in Usk on Friday 3 July for the prize-giving ceremony of this year’s CPRW Monmouthshire art and poetry competition for primary school children.

The competition, established by CPRW Monmouthshire over 20 years ago, encourages children to connect with the countryside, celebrate the natural world and think about the environmental challenges facing the places they know and love.

This year’s theme was Terrific Trees, inspiring children to create poems and artwork exploring the beauty, importance and magic of trees. Seven schools took part, with Goytre Fawr and Shirenewton topping the medals table. A total of 25 prizes were awarded, with book tokens ranging from £10 to £25.

The prizes were presented by Carys Matthews, Operations Manager for CPRW, The Welsh Countryside Charity. She said: “It was a real pleasure to see the children’s creativity and enthusiasm. Their poems and artwork showed a wonderful connection with trees, wildlife and the countryside around them.”

The competition is run by CPRW Monmouthshire in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy, the environmental charity which delivers the Eco-Schools Programme in Wales. Bryony Bromley, who leads the programme in Monmouthshire, opened the ceremony by praising the children’s enthusiasm for protecting the natural world.

Chair of CPRW Monmouthshire, Eryl Sheers, said: “We are delighted that this competition continues to inspire so many young people across Monmouthshire. Encouraging children to notice, value and care for their local countryside is at the heart of what CPRW stands for, and we are very grateful to the schools, teachers, families and volunteers who make this event possible.”

Richard Mitchley, who judged the poetry entries, highlighted several lines which he said “many adult poets would be proud of”, including Martha Pope’s: “A rustling choir in every leaf / To bring the weary heart relief” and Louis Little’s: “In summer sun or winter freeze / There’s quiet magic in the trees.”