Southwick girl in short story final

Short story writer Evelyn Kimber was inspired by reflections on Falmer Pond

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REFLECTIONS on a pond inspired a nine-year-old Southwick girl, named as a finalist in a national short story competition.

Evelyn Kimber has been shortlisted in the KalliKids competition, having been selected from more than 500 entries across the country.

Judges selected ten stories from each of four age categories, for school years three to six.

Evelyn said: “I wanted to write the story about Shine after I went to Falmer Pond and noticed the reflection of the sun on the clear water.

“Falmer Pond is special to me because it is somewhere that I always go to get ideas for my writing. Writing makes me feel positive about the world and I like to share my words with others.

“Last year, I created my own poetry book, which I sold for charity and raised over £300 for Children In Need.”

Each story had to be around 500 words long. Winners will be chosen by best-selling author Jo Rees and announced in early September.

The top stories will be published in both hardcopy and e-book, and the four schools with the most entries will win a creative writing session with Jo, who wrote Platinum and Come Together.

She said: “I loved writing stories as a child. Getting encouragement and feedback set me on my path to become a writer.