Secret war work in the centre of Wimborne, prisoners of war held in local villages, ambulance trains arriving at the station; Wimborne in World War I was a very different place. Now all budding writers from age 8 to 88 (and beyond!) are invited to submit first world War memories, short stories exploring life in the town and surrounding area 100 years ago, as part of this year’s festival.

With a closing date of 15 June, stories can be entirely fictional or use a mix of fact and fiction. The competition is open to people living, working or going to school in the Wimborne area, and there are three age categories with prizes on offer for first, second and third place in each.

Festival Director Tracy Whitham said, “This story writing competition is a wonderful way of encouraging everyone to think about what life would have been like in Wimborne during the Great War. In particular we hope that children will enjoy researching their story by discussing it with people from older generations and through doing so the competition will help keep stories of the period alive, preserving them for future generations.”