A strong performance of three poems has earned a Spalding High School student county winner of the Poetry by Heart competition.
Year 12 student Emma Howell won the county heats, sending her to the national competition in London where she reached the semi-finals and competed against eight other finalists from the region.
Tanwen Fisk, head of the school’s drama department, said: “She was very collected. She was nervous but you wouldn’t know it.”
In the county heats she performed three poems from different eras, pre-1914, post-1914 and a World War One poem to mark the 100-year anniversary and was judged on accuracy, expression, understanding and overall delivery of the poem.
The finals were held at the National Portrait Gallery on Saturday and Emma was treated to a tour of Westminster Abbey to visit the graves of famous poets as well as an open top bus trip looking at places of literary history.
Tanwen said it was a ‘magnificent experience.’
She said: “It was a real treat. They treated them all like winners.”