A POETRY competition has been launched, with a theme on Hampshire's chalk streams. 

People have the chance to celebrate chalk streams through a poetry competition and literature festival.

The Tales from the Riverbank Poetry Competition, which is free to enter, asks seven to 18-year-olds to write a short poem. 

Winners will receive National Book Tokens worth up to £75, and have their poems published in a commemorative booklet. Entrants must live within the scheme area, which includes Andover, Whitchurch, Overton, and Alresford. The competition closes at midnight on July 31.

The Watercress and Winterbournes Landscape Partnership Scheme protects, enhances, and celebrates seven chalk streams, through support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

Further inspiration is being provided by the Tales from the Riverbank Literature Festival, which will be held this June in Andover, Whitchurch, Overton, and Alresford. There will be talks by prominent nature writers like Amy-Jane Beer and Tom Moorhouse, as well as chalk stream-themed writing workshops for children and adults. All the festival events are free to attend.

Kathryn Boler, Watercress and Winterbournes partnership manager said: “Our local chalk streams are perfect places for creative inspiration. Their cool, clear water makes them some of our most biodiverse habitats, and they are central to so much local history. By holding this competition and festival, we aim to give local people a chance to join a creative tradition that spans hundreds of years.”

For more information, visit hiwwt.org.uk/tales.