THE winning poems from the Love Rugby Festival poetry competition have gone on display at the MOAT Gallery.
The competition, organised by Rugby Art Gallery and Museum and supported by Warwickshire Libraries, invited the borough’s budding poets to pen poems inspired by a love of Rugby.
And the winning poems have now gone on display at Regent Place’s outdoor MOAT Gallery, under the gaze of the statue of Rugby’s celebrated war poet, Rupert Brooke.
Maika Carrillo was crowned the overall winner of the competition for her poem, Rugby Is Where The Heart Is.
Avon Valley School student Naomi Mba, Warwickshire’s Young Poet Laureate, has contributed Rugby In My Veins to the display, while the winners of the competition’s children’s category – seven-year-old Aneesa and 11-year-old Shravani – both penned poems with ‘Love Rugby’ in the title.
Senior category winners were Jenny Hicks (‘Arboreta Rugby’), Erinayo Sorunke (‘I Love Rugby’) and David G Bailey, whose poem – Rugby Love-Inn – celebrates the town’s pubs in the 1970s.
was opened by Rugby Art Gallery and Museum in 2024 to showcase the work of local artists.
The gallery took its name from Moat Street, which incorporated Regent Street until 1924 and was named after a moated manor house which stood at the location in the 12th century.
This year’s Love Rugby Festival offered a packed programme of live music, theatre, art, heritage and sport. The poems will be on display at the MOAT Gallery until September 20.
Rugby Borough Council spokeswoman Maggie O’Rourke said: “The Love Rugby Festival brings the whole borough together to celebrate everything Rugby has to offer and we’re delighted with the response to this year’s festival.
“The winners of the poetry competition have shared personal experiences of living in Rugby – the special places, the special people and the precious memories forever connected with our borough.
“I’d urge everyone to visit the picturesque MOAT Gallery and enjoy the poetry celebrating why we love Rugby.”
Visit www.ragm.co.uk for more information about exhibitions and events at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.
