headerRecently, classes from Chantry and Newminster Middle Schools have been working with James Tait to produce written work involving use of Northumbrian dialect. Students were given the choice of writing either a poem, short story or piece of prose in the Northumbrian dialect and involving subject matter related to Northumberland.

James, a teacher and poet, has been employed by the Northumbrian language society to help preserve and promote the Northumbrian dialect and to encourage youngsters to enter this particular competition. The competition will take place on Saturday 22nd April at 1.30pm in St Robert’s Church Hall, rear of Collingwood House, Oldgate, Morpeth. All entrants who attend this will be given the opportunity to recite their work. Further details of the gathering can be found at www.northumbriana.org.uk. It is free for children to enter these competitions. Winners will receive trophies, with second and third places receiving plaques.

Please note that this is not an organized school outing, but is entirely up to parents to bring their children along to these competitions.

This poem has been written by Mark Wales in year 5 as an entry for the ‘Writing Competition’. http://www.northumbriana.org.uk/gathering/

Click ‘continue reading’ for the poem.

The Morpeth High Street
 
The Morpeth high street where to start,
The busy traffic or once the old horse and cart,
With the clock tower chiming every hour,
Or to the grand town hall where the mayor has lots of power.
 
All the shops that you see,
The hustle and bustle entrances me.
To the Morpeth market where all the stall do well,
From sausages, vegetables and fruit, that’s what they sell.
 
Costa, which is always full of chatter,
Or to Santander which stands at the latter.
Rutherfords as a department store,
When you taste Gebhards, you always want more.
 
So next time you visit our town,
I wonder if you will hear the sound,
Of the hustle on the high street,
Where everyone seems to be alreet!