Bolton's Octagon Theatre has announced the winners of its One Night In Bolton writing competition, inspired by the Octagon’s upcoming production of One Night in Bolton by Becky Prestwich and launched to encourage creativity in lockdown.
The judging panel included Octagon Artistic Director Lotte Wakeham, writer Becky Prestwich, BBC Radio Manchester presenter Becky Want, novelist Monica Ali and actor and writer Ralf Little.
Wakeham said, “from emotional and moving poems to funny and charming monologues, this competition has shown that Bolton is a truly inspirational town and that there is wealth of local writing talent.”
The winning entries span the decades and different areas of the town, from memories about the high and lows of nights out at the town’s clubs and pubs to favourite family meals to memorable sporting events and even a Royal visit.
Winning entries are:
Under-18 category winner:
- Olympic Torch: Once in a Lifetime by James Storey
Over-18 category winners:
- The Constance Carroll Smile by Lisa Allen
- Roots by Linda Downs
- Results Day by Ciaran Forrest
- Lights Out by Bill Hodson
- Pilgrimage to Bolton by Zoe Iqbal
- Nowt Worth More than Sand by Ibrahim Ismail
- The Same by Loraine Knockton
- The Queen of Bolton Baths by Pegeen Murphy
- Grandma’s Chippy Night by Julie Worthington
All of the winning stories will be performed and recorded by professional actors and released online over the summer with a selection broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester.