FORMER York schoolgirl Charlotte Wetton was today receiving a national award for a prize-winning poem she wrote while at The Mount School.

Today is National Poetry Day and Charlotte was being presented with the Simon Elvin Young Poet of the Year Award by the Poetry Society at a special ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall.

Charlotte, who is now at the University of Sheffield where she is studying international history and international politics, won the competition with a poem called The Sirens.

The Mount was one of many schools across the region which were celebrating National Poetry Day today. The theme this year is "journeying".

Young pupils at Elvington CE Primary School were taking the theme as far as they could with a special train journey from York to Knaresborough to find inspiration for poetry.

Head teacher Jenny Smith said: "The Year 2 children will be going on a train journey and will be writing about the sounds and smells and sights they experience."

Updated: 11:16 Thursday, October 04, 2001