Apr 21, 2010

Jedward today launched the 2010 Londis “Write Up My Street” initiative in aid of Barnardos. The Lucan twins attended a special event in Dublin this morning where they debuted their latest musical offering – The “Write up My Street” rap to a crowd of delighted children from Kildare Place School in Rathmines!  

Encouraged by a terrific response to the inaugural “Write Up My Street” initiative in 2009 which saw over 3,000 entrants and €30,000 raised for Barnardo’s, Londis are delighted to announce details of the 2010 Write Up My Street initiative in aid of Barnardos. This year “Write up my Street” will ask young people across Ireland to submit short stories on the theme of “Community; The People, The Place and The Pride”, depicting what they love about their communities and what makes the villages, towns and cities in which they live so unique.  

Ruth Norton, Londis Marketing Manager explained “Londis retailers are at the heart of communities throughout Ireland and appreciate, now more than ever, the importance of the support and shared values of their local community.  As parents themselves, they want their own children to grow up surrounded by the support of a warm and welcoming community and to understand and appreciate the value of being part of an activity and supportive community.  This competition encourages young people across Ireland to really engage with the spirit of community and in particular to consider how each one of us can contribute to the collective power of more vibrant and supportive communities in Ireland, be it your local village, town, football or classroom.  We know Ireland is a great place to live, so we’re really looking forward to hearing all about the best of our communities!  Discovering the vibrant imagination and creative talent of our young people in doing so, is a real bonus”.

a)       5 – 7 years;

b)      8 - 10 years;

c)       11-12 years; and

d)      13 -18 years.

The proceeds of the book will help thousands of children to make the most of their education by attending Barnardos After School programmes in communities across the country.  Speaking at the launch Barnardos Chief Executive Fergus Finlay said ““Barnardos are delighted to be working once again with Londis to celebrate two areas that are at the very centre of Barnardos work – community and education. Barnardos works at the heart of local communities all around the country and everyday we see the challenges faced in those areas.  We also see the great accomplishments of people simply by pulling together to create a better world for themselves and those around them.  Write up my Street encourages children to acknowledge and celebrate the strength and spirit of their local community. A lot of our work here in Barnardos is about  preparing for, and keeping children in, education,  and we are delighted to be part of an initiative that makes writing fun and encourages children to tell their stories”.   Write up my street is open to all young people aged between 5 and 18 years of age. Entries must be no more than 1,000 words in length and reflect the theme “Community; The People, The Place and The Pride”.

Visit www.londis.ie for lots more info and to read the stories that were selected for publication last year.  SEARCH FOR US ON FACEBOOK!  Write up my Street!

Stories can be uploaded directly onto the website or can be posted in all Londis stores in our special “Write up my Street” post boxes.  Entries will be accepted from 20^th April until Friday 28^th May.