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This spring, we were delighted to host a Protecting Nature poetry competition with our colleagues at Essex Library Services.  

The competition ran from 25 March to 20 April 2024, and encouraged young people aged 13 to 18 years, 7 to 12 years, and 6 years and under to write a poem about how they see nature and what we should do to protect it.  

The competition ran alongside the museum’s Easter holiday activities, with some workshops ran by the Library Services. Whilst young people were at the museum, they were invited to get inspired by the books, hints and tips, and templates, to get started on their creative writing journey. Participants could take the inspirational material home with them to get writing, and either hand in their poems to the museum, or participating libraries in Chelmsford.  

Our judges were very impressed by the entries they received! After a joyful day of reading many wonderful poems, we are thrilled to be sharing the winners and their poems with you.  

Our first-place prizes winners won a £15 gift voucher to spend in the museum gift shop, which supplies many sustainable and eco-friendly products.  

Maxine Clark, Events & Outreach Officer at Chelmsford Museum: 

“It was wonderful to receive over 40 entries to our poetry competition and to hear how protecting nature is a goal shared across all ages. Picking winners was very difficult and a huge thank you goes out to everyone who took the time to enter.” 

Emma Jellet, Community Connector at Essex Library Services: 

“It was a joy to read all of the poems and see such passion for protecting the environment from all entrants. For those who have been successful, your poems stood out through the way you highlighted your own feelings about environmental issues, the beauty of your word choices and your descriptive details.   
"Congratulations from all of us at Essex libraries!”    

Read a selection of the winning poems below. 

First places Evie, Adrienne Ada; second places Grace, Niamh; third places Logan, Isabel, Lily-Dawn 

Did you know? There are 12 times more trees on Earth than Milky Way stars in the sky?

Nature is wonderful, lovely, beautiful and you are unique.
Always leave some flowers growing for bees.
Try to give out food for the birds and some other wildlife.
Unique animals need to be protected.
Rubbish must go in the bins not out of the bins.
Enjoy your walk but stick to the path so you do not destroy natures home.

Protecting Nature!!

We talk a lot about pollution,
But not enough about the solution.
Go to the beach and pick up some plastic,
This would be helpful and really fantastic!

We’re killing sealife everyday,
Its only us humans getting in the way.
We may think we’re giving animals love,
But what’s killing them is really just us.

We are cutting down trees to make way for farming,
But are we area of the animals we’re harming?
Species are going extinct on our planet,
All because of our bad habits!

We spend hours and hours,
Planting trees and beautiful flowers.
But we’re destroying them to make more land,
The fare of our world is in the palm of our hands.

Five trillion pieces of litter thrown in our ocean causes animals to die,
Why are we doing this, just why?
Animals deserve to live in peace,
All human pollution should cease!

Do you hear the noise?

Trees are screaming, but nobody’s hearing
The cars roar louder
That the owls and foxes and wolves are escaping

Humans argue by shouting,
Birds sing by songs,
But the song of the world is dying
By the many many human wrongs.

Planes slash through clouds,
The world plays violins
Humans cheer for human musicians
While the nature sings in choirs

Horses are tapping hooves in happiness,
Equally, trees wave with wind,
All together seagulls squeak with gladness,
Rivers are trickling in tranquillity.

If arguments were deafened
By silence. How nice would it be…
If we were forced to listen
To the gentle hush of nature with sympathy

Then the world would be smiling,
And the birds would be singing;
Only then we would be living forever.

Nature is fresh air.
Always care for it and never throw rubbish.
Trees are for birds, do not chop them down.
Underground worms wriggle and jiggle
Running in nature you find pine cones.
Everyone must take care of nature.

The planet weeps.
As we stand on our feet
Deforestation hurts
While we are busy making shirts and skirts
The forest begs for his freedom.
While the ocean begs for her queendom
The animals are losing their habitats.
But we ignore it and look after our cats.
Some plants are destroyed by the breeze
Destroying food for the bees.
Flowers are dying
While the government is lying
Insects drop like the leaves on the trees
But we cant hear mother natures pleas
Clouds cry up above
While oasis’s feel unloved.
We need to defend and keep earth safe,
We need to love the earth not make it unsafe.

The planet is beautiful we need to protect it.
If we do nothing, we will lose it.

The oceans, the forests, the animals too.
Let’s join together, and see what we can do.

We can recycle and save water.
To make this planet better,
For our sons and daughters.

One by One

Don’t kill nature
The land or seas
The majestic creatures
The tall, green trees.

Don’t kill nature
Its not fun
You may not mean to hurt anyone

But you’re hurting the fish
You’re destroying the sun
You’re chopping down forests
And hurting your lungs.

People get on their knees
And plant trees
Trying to make earth… well, more… fun.

But people don’t listen
(they say) “Don’t let earth glisten!”
And destroy it, one by one.

Easter Greetings

The time for new beginnings
Hopping bunnies, hatching eggs,
And fluttering butterflies landing on
Fields of flowing purple.
Twig gathering and chirping chicks
Throughout this joyous time.
Easter greetings here and there like
Pockets of tiny rhyme
All these small gestures of some heaven,
We must protect and love.
Procession of glowing nature together
With reminiscing Christ’s rebirth.

Merry Easter.