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Ocado and children’s author Francesca Simon, unveil their top young poet

Following a nationwide competition devised by Ocado, the online supermarket, and the non-profit organisation, Peace One Day, one lucky youngster from Horsham has won a nationwide competition and will be travelling with her family to the Peace Day concert in Hague on Saturday 21st September.

Pip Crundwell, age 15, from Horsham submitted a poem as part of Ocado’s ‘Poems for Peace’ campaign. Her poem was judged by the renowned children’s author of the Horrid Henry series and schools literacy champion, Francesca Simon, who said, “The variety of poems we received was truly exceptional, with some really adult themes being addressed by some very talented children. The theme of Peace has clearly inspired our next generation of poets and I really enjoyed choosing the shortlist.” Pip’s poem was crowned as the winning poem thanks to a combined 455 votes on the Ocado Facebook page.

Of Pip’s writing, Francesca Simon said, “I was struck by Philippa's battleground imagery in her poem about a war between siblings, and how misunderstanding and hostility creates a no-man's land. I also liked her thoughts on how to cross that divide.”

Developed by Ocado as part of its longtime partnership with Peace One Day, the ‘Poems for Peace’ campaign asked children to explore the theme of Peace and what it means to them. It forms part of the wider Primary Education Resource which Ocado supports – dedicated lesson plans that parents and teachers can download to educate children about Peace and violence reduction both domestically and internationally.

Jason Gissing, Ocado Co-founder and Peace One Day Education Ambassador said, “As a Dad, I want my kids to grow up in a world where Peace is a reality for all, not just a dream. My father fought in the Second World War, and my mother was in Japan when it was atom-bombed. I am not a hopeless dreamer: I genuinely believe we can make the world a better place if we stop fighting. Engaging school children is vital in this process as they are the next generation of Peacemakers – this is why Ocado continue to support the Peace One Day Primary Education Resource.”

Pip’s poem entry has won a trip to The Hague for this year’s Peace One Day concert which will showcase musical talent such as International DJ sensation, Paul van Dyke and X Factor favourite, Jahméne Douglas.

Pip will also have her ‘Poem for Peace’ printed on a limited edition tea towel which will be sold exclusively at ocado.com with all profits going to Peace One Day. The tea towels will be in homes across the UK and serve as a year-round reminder of the importance of Peace.

Peace One Day

When fragile words are spoken,
Then promises not kept,
Then someone may get broken,
And tears are often wept,
This is the massive void within,
The tender spot inside,
Where evil, hurtfulness and sin,
Have vandalised my pride,
So I set out to hurt you,
And cut you like a knife,
And after all you’ve been through,
I caused the deepest strife,
The gorge between us grew and grew,
So did those precious years,
Though neither of us ever knew,
We’d cried eachother’s tears,
I should have said I’m sorry,
So many years before,
Before we’d dug a quarry,
Between our bedroom doors,
I should have gently held your hand,
So many moons ago,
And tried to let you understand,
What I hope your heart might know,
I want to find a way to see,
Your side of the coin,
So I’ll set my hate and anger free,
So that our hearts may join,
So can we cross the no-man’s-land,
To iron out every crease,
So I can hold your tender hand,
And we can live in peace.

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Horsham youngster wins UK wide poetry competition and trip to The Hague for World Peace Day