BUDDING young poets have been discovered following a Newquay bookshop competition.

Clemo Books in Bank Street staged its Young People’s Poetry Competition to celebrate independent bookshop week. 

Clover Oates’ poem Fossil Found beat more than 50 entries and earned them the top prize of a gift voucher to spend in the independent bookshop as well as their poem displayed in the window on the high street for all to see. 

Judges Tracey Williams, author of Adrift the Tale of The Lego Lost at Sea and Lucy Beckley a local writer and poet thought the winning entry was well composed, contained beautiful imagery, and was wonderfully written.

Given the theme ‘found’ entries explored friendship, treasure and emotions. Clover’s poem was inspired by fossil hunting. Poetry competition judge Tracey said: “A girl after my own heart! I have very happy memories of hunting for fossils with my father when I was a child, so this poem particularly resonated with me. “

Bookshop owner Jaimie Poyner said: “We’re so pleased to offer opportunities like this and see what talent children and young people want to share with us. Poetry is such a special way of conveying meanings and we’re grateful to all the children and young people who entered the competition – we enjoyed reading the poems and everyone who entered should be very proud of themselves.”

Winner Clover Oates, the three runners up and special commended entries have all been notified of their success in the bookshop’s inaugural poetry competition. 

Clemo Books started out as a pop-up bookshop in October 2021 before finding a permanent home on Newquay’s high street in November 2023.

Finding a fossil 

Ancient treasures below the ground, 

Mind blowing secrets left unfound, 

Turned to stone over many million years, 

Broken down by the sea’s tears, 

Emerging from eroded cliffs, 

Battered by the sea then on the currents they drift, 

Then they wash up, 

On the ever waiting shore, 

As time passes there are more and more, 

When someone sees them, 

Their eyes start to shine, 

A frozen creature, 

A peek back in time…

by Clover Oates - winner of Clemo Books Young People’s Poetry Competition 2024