EMAILS
Enquiries: info@thamesvalleywriterscircle.org
© Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Created with Xara Designer Pro+
11 Jun 2025: Arthur Redway Memorial Competition
This year's competition is now open and the rules are set out below.Requirements
A short story on any theme. Word limit 1500. Stories must include the following words: association, refresh, concoct, scrambled, support. Deadlines Send your entry to Walter by midnight 10 Jul 2025 who will place entries on the web site (anonymised) in the Library section, page 2025. After reading the entries, send your votes for 1st 2nd and 3rd places to Nick by midday 21 Jul 2025. Results will be announced on 22nd July, together with readings of the winning stories, plus the other entries. Unread stories will be read after the AGM in the hall on 29th July, together with the presentation of the trophy. Les hopes you will find the time and inspiration to submit an entry - being judged by our peers is always an interesting process. Good luck!
9 Jul 2025: Richard’s Latest Pics
Richard was very disappointed that we didn’t get the full benefit of his reading on Zoom yesterday because of the missing pictures... So here they are!!
Left: the 1933 Morris Oxford that was
restored from a bundle of parts by Keith
Montell.
Below: one of the Prescott team doing
his stuff on the hill climb.
22Jul 2025: Arthur Redway Memorial
Competition
A pleasing feature of this year’s competition is that it attracted interest even among those who hadn’t entered a story - there were more voters than entrants! The winner is our newest member Alison Trott with Yoshi Wins the Day, a beautifully told story of brothers coping with a traumatic event in their lives.
In second place was Les Williams
with his cautionary tale, Dubai or
Bust - a warning not to mess with
HMRC however smart you may
think you are.
In third place was David Burnell with
his account of a mining ‘accident’,
Aberfan.
29 Jul 2025: Summer Homework Challenge
To make it a little less demanding we have reduced the word count to 750 for this year. This may also make it more difficult to achieve a well rounded story. As is usual with this event, there are no prizes - but have a go anyway. The theme for your story is ‘betrayal’. Readings of your holiday jottings will take place in the first two meetings of next term, along with any other material you may want to bring to those sessions. Remember, watch the word count - only 750!
Following on from a series of successful puzzle books, Neil was
honoured to be asked, and delighted to accept, a commission to produce
what must be any puzzle composer’s dream:
The Official Strictly Come Dancing Puzzle Book
Neil’s offering is packed with Strictly-related puzzles. Whether it’s Mystery Sudokus, deliberating over fun facts, teasing conundrums, cryptograms or word searches, the book contains something for everyone whether an occasional Strictly viewer or an ardent fan. Good luck Neil. We think you’ve got a winner there.
25 Sep 2025: Neil’s Latest Puzzle Book
- and it’s a cracker!
26 Nov 2025: It’s a Winner!
We said it would be. Neil’s puzzle book based on the BBC’s hit show Strictly Come Dancing is a big success, making into the UK top 100 best selling list - actually it reached a high of 40! The reaction to the Strictly puzzles has been so good that Neil has been asked if he can repeat that success with another, perhaps for a different show. Of course, he has accepted the challenge. Watch this Space
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who took
part, either with a story or the judging. Thank you also to Walter for
managing the website and to Nick for managing the judging.
20 Jan 2026: Barbara Olive Smith Memorial Trophy Competition
There were eleven excellent entries for this year's competition and
most of these were read at our Zoom meeting on 20 Jan. There was a
healthy response to the judging and every entry had received votes.
A clear winner emerged and the results are below.
by Alison Trott
by Mark Holman-Lisney
by Les Cooper
1st
2nd
3rd
The Beauty of Hunting
All That Glisters
Percy
from Les Williams
27 Jan 2026: Alison Receives Trophy
Marking her second sucess in just a few months, Alison was presented with the Barbara Olive Smith Memorial Trophy by Nick (who seems to be holding another, invisible, trophy).27 Jan 2026: Alison Receives Trophy
Marking her second sucess in just a few months, Alison was presented with the Barbara Olive Smith Memorial Trophy by Nick (who seems to be holding another, invisible, trophy).
Following on from a series of successful puzzle
books, Neil was honoured to be asked, and
delighted to accept, a commission to produce
what must be any puzzle composer’s dream:
The Official Strictly Come Dancing
Puzzle Book
Neil’s offering is packed with Strictly- related puzzles. Whether it’s Mystery Sudokus, deliberating over fun facts, teasing conundrums, cryptograms or word searches, the book contains something for everyone whether an occasional Strictly viewer or an ardent fan. Good luck Neil. We think you’ve got a winner there.11 Jun 2025: Arthur Redway Memorial
Competition
This year's competition is now open and the rules are set out below.Requirements
A short story on any theme. Word limit 1500. Stories must include the following words: association, refresh, concoct, scrambled, support. Deadlines Send your entry to Walter by midnight 10 Jul 2025 who will place entries on the web site (anonymised) in the Library section, page 2025. After reading the entries, send your votes for 1st 2nd and 3rd places to Nick by midday 21 Jul 2025. Results will be announced on 22nd July, together with readings of the winning stories, plus the other entries. Unread stories will be read after the AGM in the hall on 29th July, together with the presentation of the trophy. Les hopes you will find the time and inspiration to submit an entry - being judged by our peers is always an interesting process. Good luck!
EMAILS
Enquiries: info@thamesvalleywriterscircle.org
© Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Created with Xara Designer Pro+
22Jul 2025: Arthur Redway
Memorial Competition
A pleasing feature of this year’s competition is that it attracted interest even among those who hadn’t entered a story - there were more voters than entrants!
In second place was Les
Williams with his cautionary
tale, Dubai or Bust - a
warning not to mess with
HMRC however smart you may
think you are.
In third place was David
Burnell with his
account of a mining
‘accident’, Aberfan.
The winner is our newest member Alison
Trott with Yoshi Wins the Day, a beautifully
told story of brothers coping with a traumatic
event in their lives.
29 Jul 2025: Summer
Homework Challenge
To make it a little less demanding we have reduced the word count to 750 for this year. This may also make it more difficult to achieve a well rounded story. As is usual with this event, there are no prizes - but have a go anyway. The theme for your story is ‘betrayal’. Readings of your holiday jottings will take place in the first two meetings of next term, along with any other material you may want to bring to those sessions. Remember, watch the word count - only 750!
25 Sep 2025: Neil’s Latest Puzzle Book
- and it’s a cracker!
26 Nov 2025: It’s a
Winner!
We said it would be. Neil’s puzzle book based on the BBC’s hit show Strictly Come Dancing is a big success, making into the UK top 100 best selling list - actually it reached a high of 40! The reaction to the Strictly puzzles has been so good that Neil has been asked if he can repeat that success with another, perhaps for a different show. Of course, he has accepted the challenge. Watch this Space
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who
took part, either with a story or the judging. Thank you also to
Walter for managing the website and to Nick for managing the
judging.
20 Jan 2026: Barbara Olive
Smith Memorial Trophy
Competition
There were eleven excellent entries for this year's competition
and most of these were read at our Zoom meeting on 20 Jan.
There was a healthy response to the judging and every entry had
received votes.
A clear winner emerged and the results are below.
by Alison Trott
by Mark Holman-Lisney
by Les Cooper
1st
2nd
3rd
The Beauty of Hunting
All That Glisters
Percy
from Les Williams
News
