A TWISTER in Bicester was the inspiration for a Jubilee poem that blew away contest judges.

Bicester Community College pupil Amy Attrill, 12, penned her words just 24 hours after reading a newspaper story about a twister spotted in the town.

She was one of three winners in a Jubilee poetry contest organised by Bicester MP Tony Baldry.

Budding writers were split into two categories, under and over 18s, and asked to write a poem about the town and the Jubilee.

About 200 people submitted poems and last week judges, Mr Baldry, Jason Slaymaker, chairman of the Jubilee steering committee, and Nigel French, owner of Coles Bookstore, had the tough task of choosing the winners.

Yesterday Miss Attrill, Katy Young and Mary Roe collected cheques for £250 each and their poems will go online at the Bicester Jubilee website.

Mr Baldry said: “We had an impressive number of entries in both categories ranging from raps, lyrics and poems.

“There was a lot of optimism and a lot of creativity in the poems. The decision was really difficult.”

Miss Attrill said: “I looked at the newspaper and quite liked the idea of having a twister in a poem.

“I started it at school and thought about it overnight and finished it in the morning.

“I planned to hand it in, but I missed the school deadline.”

Her mother, Lezley, dropped the poem into Coles Bookstore where it was just in time for the contest.

Lay preacher Mrs Roe, 80, of Kings End, Bicester, won joint first prize in the over 18 category.

She said: “I grew up with The Queen, she was present in my life, so I wrote about our parallel lives. I was pretty amazed to win. I’d just taken it to a poetry evening and planned to read it if there was a gap.”

Fellow over-18 winner was Miss Young, 26, from Southwold, Bicester, said: “Mine was a more modern take.

“I didn’t know much about the history of Bicester or The Queen so I did a lot of research and put my own slant on it.”

We are collecting stories of the Queen’s coronation in 1953 for our coverage of the Jubilee weekend. If you have a special memory, call Rhianne Pope on 01865 425411.

  • The Bicester Twister

Bicester may not seem the most exciting town,

But unusual things are happening all around,

One day a guinea fowl appeared in my school,

Everyone was saying, “Wow! That’s cool!”

A rare bird here is our midst, Probably last spotted during the blitz.

The other day there was a twister, Hanging ominously over Bicester,

Black clouds were looming, The thunder was booming,

Trees were blowing in the storm, Hail stones crashing on the lawn,

The sky lit up from a flash of lightning,

I’ve never witnessed anything so frightening!

Now we’re going eco, now we’re going green,

It’s not just Bicester Village that will have to be seen,

Designer shoes and handbags all in pink,

An eco-town, low energy houses, a new rail link, What do the people of Bicester really think?

Restaurants, shops, a cinema with seven screens, New development everywhere or so it seems.

Soon it will be a weekend of Jubilee celebration,

Bicester, a part of our great British nation,

The flame en-route to Olympic glory,

Wow, what a fantastic story! Union Jack flags flying, children frantically waving,

As the Olympic torchbearer pounds the paving,

Through the streets of the exciting town of Bicester,

A Guinea fowl, an eco-town, Olympic torch and a twister!