Below is a detailed list of events held by RAL:
RAL 2009 WRITING COMPETITION:
The writing competition closed in October with entries coming in from all parts of the UK and from as far afield as South Africa and Thailand. The event was in two parts with a short story competition and an illustrated article competition with competitors able to enter one or both of the categories. The subject matter of the short story was open but had to start with the words "If only someone had listened....."
The illustrated article competition was also open and those entries received covered a variety of topics and were in an assortment of styles. Two relevant images also had to accompany the article and this was competently handled by all those who entered - particularly the winners.
Judges for the event were writer and magazine columnist Jane Wenham-Jones (http://www.janewenham-jones.com/ ) who officiated in the short story competition with editor, publisher and writer, Diana Cambridge (http://www.canalstreet.org.uk/), deciding the winners in the article event.
Winner of the short story competition was Alma Harris of Grantham in Lincolnshire with "Freedom for Bridie". ALma has worked in journalism and public relations for most of her life and has had short stories published and featured on BBC Radio 4.
click here to view Freedom for Birdie
The judge commented "An accomplished and unusual story, written from the point of view of a young girl observing another child from her window. An unsettling tale with interesting use of language and good page-turning quality. A very clear winner for me."
Second place was taken by R.A. Martens from
Third short story winner was Gary Ian David from
The illustrated article competition was a new addition to our writing event and it was hoped that it would encourage short story writers to branch out into a different genre and try their hand at writing short, punchy pieces with photographs. Unfortunately this wasn't as well supported as we might have liked but nevertheless, we did receive some interesting and entertaining entries.
The winner of the illustrated article event was Sally Jenkins from Sutton Coldfiled,
click here to view Credit Crunch Birmingham
Judges comment "I felt this article had a lot of vitality as well as being topical and original -
Second place went to Olva Lloyd from Burton-on -
Judges comment, "An informative feature but not too weighed down with history - an interesting topic written with a delicate touch. The writer manages to draw the reader into the subject instantly - making a specialised topic easy to read. The illustration - Life of Christ from the West Window of
Third prize of £50 went to Eleanor Patrick of Northumberland who has been a writer for over 25 years working professionally in creating and selling both articles, short stories and books.
Judges comment, "A travel journal for one week that's written with lots of careful description: the writer has put much effort into making the piece cliche-free and different from so many run of the mill travel pieces. I liked the "food" elements too - mention of pheasant from a farmers' market, and langoustine, lobster and crab offered all along the coast. From her descriptions - a house with walls " as thick as a hug, windows as small as a kiss", an area " polka-dotted with castles", the sporadic lights of "wayfarer pubs in stand-by mode" it was easy to picture the region, feel the atmosphere. The two illustrations were suitable for the piece: though more alternative images could be offered. With details of, say, holiday cottage websites and some pub listings added to the article, this too could catch an editor's eye."
Due to the amount of organisation involved in the event it has been decided not to run a competition in 2010 but the event will be run again in 2011 and we hope that everyone will be encouraged to enter.
We would like to express our thanks to the judges for giving freely of their time and experience in judging the event and for their interest and support of our organisation.
We would also like to thank everyone who entered the competition and made donations to our organisation. Your input, support and generosity was very much appreciated.
CONFERENCE: 11th & 12th September 2008
RAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE
We held our first conference over these two dates in September and the conference "Supporting Survivors" was aimed not only at health professionals and fellow counsellors, but was available to anyone who had an interest in counselling matters relating to Rape and Abuse, in all its forms. The subjects covered were diverse and plentiful with individual workshops for more intense discussion and investigation of various subject matter taking place on the last afternoon.
The speakers at the conference were headed by Professor Dave Mearns, Emeritus Professor of Counselling at Strathclyde University, with fellow speakers, Jan Hawkins, Founder of Diploma course for practitioners working with survivors of childhood abuse, Elke Lambers, Director of Supervision Training with Person Centred Training, Alison Shoemark, Director of Counselling Diploma Course at Aberdeen University, Martyn Sullivan, Chief Executive of Mankind UK, Sue James a RAL founder member and Alan Brown, a team leader of student counselling services within Strathclyde University.
Former Labour MSP and director of Women's Aid, Maureen Macmillan opened the conference and praised the work of the Rape and Abuse Line which she has supported in the Scottish Parliament.
Positive feedback has been received from the delegeates, many of whom expressed their gratitude to RAL for arranging a high quality conference which did not involve travelling to Glasgow, Edinburgh or further south.
"I'm really impressed with the whole two days and what you have achieved."
"The conference has been moving, challenging and thought provoking. All the speakers have challenged my thinking."
"An excellent wide ranging conference which for me, shed light and new perspectives on the many aspects of shattered lives. I have taken away so much and will hopefully become a better practitioner because of this conference. Thank you."
"A great event to have in the Highlands- gratefully received."
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