Project aims to bring 'joy of writing to children'

A project designed to "bring the joy of creative writing to children" has published a selection of short stories by young Manx students.

Author and retired maths teacher Rob Cowley ran a creative writing competition for a second year in which he invited children aged six to 13 to produce a short bedtime story, complete with up to four illustrations.

The Big Book of Magical Manx Tales comprises a collection of 28 short stories championing themes of kindness, friendship, respect and courage as well as Manx folklore.

Cowley said he wanted to "stimulate the imaginations of young people" on the island.

The former deputy head of St Ninian's High School in Douglas has now written seven books which raise money for local charities across the island.

He said last year's writing competition saw only six of the 68 entrants have their work published, as their was limited space for contributions in the back of his latest book.

"Their work was good enough to publish all by itself," he said, sparking the idea for this year's project, which has seen 28 stories published out of 80 submitted.

"I was fascinated particularly at the way they approached some topics," said Cowley.

"There were a lot of stories about kindness and friendship, but some tackled the difficult ones like the courage of standing up to a bully and the increasing problem of pollution in the environment."

The project also raises money for local charity Bridge the Gap, which aims to support young people with long-term health conditions, as well as the Children's Ward at Noble's Hospital.

Cowley said he hoped the project would give children "the feeling they are contributing to helping other young people on the island".

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