TIM BRINGS SILVERWARE TO SEDGEFIELD
At The Darlington Festival For Performing Arts (Speech & Drama) held at the weekend, former St. William’s pupil Tim Jasper from Sedgefield, aged 12 and now a pupil of Carmel RC Technology College, was presented with The Edith Kershaw Trophy, after it was announced that he was the winner of the Prose Speaking Class (Under-13). There were 19 entrants in the competition.
He had to speak, from memory, a passage from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
He won the award by just 1 point from fellow Y7 Carmel student, Philippa Peall, with a mark of 87, which also earned him a Certificate of Distinction.
The Adjudicator was Norma Redfearn of Northampton, formerly Head of Drama at Yorkshire College of Music & Drama and an actress, who has appeared in professional theatre nationwide.
Tim will hold the magnificent trophy for 1 year and hopes to defend his prestigious title at next year’s Festival
15th March 2006.
Update: 28th April 2006
Tim Jasper, aged 12 from Sedgefield and a Y7 pupil at Carmel RC Technology College, last night won the Darlington title (9 - 12) of the Ottakar's & Faber National Poetry Day Competition for the third time but, more significantly, Poet Laureate
Andrew Motion judged all 140 winners from the Ottakar's stores dotted around the country and declared Tim's poem, (about having a brace fitted to his teeth), to be the National Winner. As well as a selection of poetry books as his Darlington prize, he has also won a national prize of a £100 cheque for himself and £100 in book tokens for Carmel College.
He dedicated his victory to his paternal Grandma, who sadly passed away in the early hours on Monday. You can view Tim's poem and the other national winners by logging on to the link below.
Ottakar's & Faber National Poetry Competition 2005/6
To complete a family double, his father, Dave, was runner-up in the adult class for the Darlington competition.
Update: 2nd Oct 2006
In the Rafters Bar of The Hope Inn in Sedgefield on Saturday 9th September, a huge audience of spoon-playing fans was treated to a virtuoso performance from reigning Junior World Champion, 10 years old Ciaran Jasper, as she held on to her title in the face of a fierce challenge from the other finalists.
Backed by the talented Scratch Band’s set piece rendition of ‘I’ll Tell Me Ma When I Get Home’, Ciaran opened the junior competition with her well-rehearsed routine involving some new moves such as The Trimdon Triplet, The Fishburn Flick and The Sedgefield Shuffle.
In one of the tightest competitions in the history of the event, Ciaran overcame the rest of the field to win the World Title for the second year running by just half a point from her 12 years old brother, Tim.
The 2 judges were awarding points for rhythmic accuracy, technique and style and no doubt had a difficult job to separate the high-scoring entrants.
The Championship was being held in Sedgefield for the first time and formed part of the 2006 Trimdon Folk Festival, which had been transferred there, as it had outgrown its early roots.
Ciaran, a pupil in Y6 at St. William’s RC Primary School, Trimdon had been practising hard for this event and said afterwards, “I am absolutely delighted to have retained my title, though my brother, Tim, (in Y8 at Carmel RC College, Darlington) ran me very close with his energetic routine. I would really like to ‘do a Brazil’ next year by winning the trophy for a third time and being allowed to keep it.”
As well as the handsome trophy, a giant spoon mounted on a wooden plinth, Ciaran also pocketed a £10 cash prize. She can’t wait for next year’s competition to come around and the chance to defend her title once more.
Junior World Champion Ciaran Jasper, aged 10 & Runner-up Tim Jasper, 12, pictured with the trophy and with members of The Scratch Band in the background.
Update: 23rd Nov 2006
Tim Jasper, aged 12, of Sedgefield and a Y8 pupil at Carmel RC College, Darlington, was one of the winners in the Sid Chaplin Short Story Competition this year. Last year he was the runner-up, so he was delighted to go one better this time around. He collected a prize cheque of £30 and his story was included in the competition’s anthology of winning stories.
Shildon Town Council, in association with Durham County Council, held the Presentation of Awards on 22nd November in Shildon’s Civic Hall. This year’s judges were Sheila Owens and Peter Burns from Durham County Council’s Culture and Leisure Department.
The special guests of honour were Rene Chaplin, Sid’s widow and the Mayor of Shildon, who opened the proceedings with a warm welcome to all present. A packed hall heard the judges praise the winning entries in the 3 Junior Classes and the Adult Section. This year, the Junior Competitions were all too close to call and so joint winners were announced. The full results were as follows:
8 – 10 years Sacha Watson and Sophie Wilson
11 – 14 years Tim Jasper (Sedgefield) and Jen Jennings (Shildon)
15 – 18 years Stacey Dickson and Laura Horner
The results in the adult class were as follows:
1st Anne Goodwin
2nd Sue Francis
3rd Eileen McLeod
2 special prizes were given to the best entries from people residing in Shildon. These were presented to Jen Jennings and Mrs. V. Mortimer. The evening was rounded off with a superb buffet. 
(pictured: Rene Chaplin with 11 – 14 winner, Tim Jasper)
|
