Robert AshtonNon-fiction author with a history of enterprise support and social entrepreneurship

Alde Valley Academy - Leiston Book Festival - Writing Competition 2026

11 Apr 2026 · 3 min

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3:00

In this video, nonfiction author and founder of the Leiston Book Festival, Robert Ashton, addresses Alde Valley Academy students to promote creative writing and announce a half‑term writing competition. He shares his personal background—once aspiring to be a farmer, now a writer—and stresses the importance of clear, creative communication for any career. The competition, supported by the Leiston Book Festival and Salisbury Creative, invites students to write a 300‑word piece on what "landscape" means to them, in any form (non‑fiction, short story, poem, or play). The best entry in each year group wins a £50 book token, with two runners‑up receiving £25 each. Submissions must be turned in to Mrs Smith, Head of English, by the end of the half‑term; judging occurs over the break and winners are announced in June. Throughout the half‑term, visiting authors will inspire students: Will Atkins (author of a book about Sizewell), Amanda Hodgkinson (award‑winning novelist and University of Suffolk associate professor) will run a workshop, and Richard Negus (hedgelayer, conservationist, author of Words from the Hedge) will discuss writing and conservation. The video serves both as motivation and a practical guide to the competition’s rules, timeline, and supporting events.

Chapters

So my name is Robert Ashton, and I'm a nonfiction author. I also started Leiston Book Festival, which brings writers to Leiston whose books explore our changing landscape and environment. When I was your age, I wanted to be a farmer. My life didn't quite turn out that way, but whatever job I had, it was important to me to be able to write well and clearly and often creatively, and that's a skill that I think you need in your career too. So today I want to encourage you to write more creatively. To encourage you to do that, we have a competition running this half term which is supported by Leiston Book Festival and Salisbury Creative. The best piece in each year group will win a £50 book token, and the 2 runners-up will get £25 book tokens each. We want you to write 300 words about what landscape means to you. You can be as creative as you like. You can write a piece of nonfiction, you could write a short story, you could write a poem, or even a scene from a play. What's important is that your writing will touch the hearts of our judges and be memorable. Each Monday through this half term, there'll be something— somebody coming to school to inspire and help you. Next Monday, we have Will Atkins, a London-based author who is currently writing a book about Sizewell. The following Monday, Amanda Hodgkinson, an award-winning novelist and associate professor at the University of Suffolk, will be running a workshop to help you hone your technique and develop your writing voice. And then after that, we have Richard Negus, a hedge layer and conservationist who's written a book called Words from the Hedge, who will tell you how it's like for him to be a writer as well as to do conservation and hedgelaying. You'll hear more about the competition in your classrooms in the next day or two. Entries have to be with Mrs Smith, the Head of English, by the end of half-term. They'll be judged over the half-term break and winners will be announced in June.