Competition-winning friendship poems open festival

Eleanor, Myles and Zara met for the first time ahead of reading their competition poems about friendship

Three young poets have officially opened the Latitude Festival, performing their pieces on the theme of friendship.

BBC Radio Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire ran a competition in partnership with the festival, open to 7-11 year olds across the three counties.

The winner was seven-year-old Myles from Wymondham, Norfolk, who was inspired by the world of Minecraft for his poem A Friend Like Steve.

Latitude director Melvin Benn, who introduced the poets on stage, said: "That's what you do when you come to Latitude, you make friends, spend time with friends."

Zara, Eleanor and Myles were the opening act on the Waterfront stage, drawing a crowd of festivalgoers

The competition began for the 2024 festival as a collaboration with BBC Radio Suffolk, and was open to young people who lived or went to school in Suffolk.

It expanded to cover three counties for this year's festival.

Poems on the theme of friendship were judged by BBC presenters Sarah Lilley and Louise Hulland, along with poet Luke Wright and Latitude arts curator Kirsty Taylor.

Winner Myles said he was "excited and proud" to read his piece to a large crowd in front of the stage, which floats on the lake at Henham Park, and on the bridge alongside.

The two runners-up also performed their work.

Zara, 11, from Gorleston, wrote What Can I Do? telling the story of her school friend moving away to Peterborough.

She said: "I love writing and I hope to publish a book of my poems one day."

Eleanor, 11, from Cromer, wrote Someone, a poem that explored how it felt to be without a special friend.

After the performance she said the experience was "really fun" and she felt proud of her reading.

BBC presenter Louise Hulland, poet Luke Wright and Latitude director Melvin Benn introduced Zara, Eleanor and Myles on stage

You can read the three poems in full here.