Story-telling imagination runs riot in Higham Ferrers

Higham Ferrers schoolchildren have wonderful, imaginative minds and some are destined to become authors, a best selling writer has predicted.

Famed children's author Chris Smith told Higham Ferrers school pupils and their parents this when he held a creative story-telling workshop at St Mary's Church, one of the events in the Town's Arts weekend.

Chris had earlier run similar workshops at Higham Ferrers Junior School and Henry Chichele Primary School, where he discovered that the pupils had the ''most amazing imagination''

While many children have limited learning span, ''the children of Higham Ferrers are incredibly different.. they are absolutely engaged and their parents should be super proud'' of , he said

Chris added that he was ''absolutely blown'' away by the stories that their imagination had conjured up, with their adventure stories including super- heroes, magical lands, evil kings, goblins, castles, tap dancing unicorns, talking horses and chickens riding guinea pigs.

'' I think we have discovered some brand -new authors today. They are very switched on,'' he added.

Chris believes the air around Higham Ferrers is full of stories and says they had inspired the locally- born author H E Bates.

Chris got his own literary success when he was just eight-years old, clinching first prize in a H E Bates short story competition with his tale about a biscuit loving dinosaur.

London based Chris, who grew up in nearby Raunds, recalled ringing the bells in Higham St Mary's Church. Now he is making a big noise in the children's story telling world.

Together with co-author Greg James, he has produced a string of best selling Kids normal books, as well as writing solo books.

The pair have been commissioned by the Roald Dahl Story Company to write a new story inspired by Dahl's original works.

They have spent six months writing the 'Twits Next Door'' and have introduced new characters. The book is due out in August and the Higham Ferrers audience of schoolchildren and parents as well as guests and organisers of the Arts Weekend, got a sneak preview with Chris reading a never heard before extract.

Chris, a former BBC news presenter, has been writing full time for eight years. He is Primary School Alliance Ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and has played a key role in raising awareness that more needs to be invested in Primary School libraries.

Three prizes were awarded to both schools, with first place at Henry Chichele School (for literature English and ''across the board)'', going to Jake Dowsett, with second place going to Isabelle Andrew and third spot to Isobel Betts.

The competition was judged on poetry at Higham Ferrers Junior School with first place going to Lara Angeline Cabrera, second to Georgina Nicholls and third to Josie Stapleton.

The Arts Weekend was the brainchild of Brenda Lofthouse, the new chair of Friends of St Mary's. a secular organisation dedicated to the preservation of the exterior of Grade 1 listed buildings in the town. The three day event was organised by the Friends of St Mary's, with Higham Ferrers Tourism organising one event with artist Ophelia Redpath and Arlem Mozgovoy, in the spirit of partnership.

Guest Morcea Walker M.B.E. , former Vice Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, told the audience that ''because of the energy level in Higham Ferrers'' she would be inviting both schools to take part in the national Poetry Together event later in the year.

All the action from the creative workshops was captured on camera and will soon feature on YouTube.