A nine-year-old girl from Barnes has received plaudits after winning a national poetry competition for her poem describing the experience of lockdown.

Year 5 Student Rosie Lever beat scores of other budding poets with her entry 'A Poem For 2020', which was crowned winner of the Project Smile poetry competition run by PSHE resources group 1 Decision.

The event was designed to encourage children to support each other during the coronavirus pandemic, and Rosie's poem expressed the frustration and weirdness of finding oneself living through the global virus, ending on a resolute note.

It was read out loud by the Writer and Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, who also selected Rosie's as the winning poem in a special announcement video posted to YouTube last week.

"Rosie is really surprised and excited to have been selected as the winner!" Mum Sarah told the RTT.

"She loves poetry and decided to sum up her year - as well as a touch of defiance that 2021 has to be better!

"She was inspired by her own feelings - missing her friends, missing school life and realising all the things she normally takes for granted.

"Her school is really proud of her and it has definitely given her the confidence to keep writing," she added.

Read Rosie's full poem below:

Richmond and Twickenham Times: Rosie's winning poemRosie's winning poem