When the famed Totnes Map was unveiled two years ago in St Mary’s Church it
seemed to have something in it for everyone. The historical, the mystical and the
realistic are all on display in this fascinating piece of work.
It is not surprising then that when the Map was used as a catalyst in the Totnes
Heritage Trust’s short story competition in partnership with the East Gate Bookshop
the ideas were as creative and engaging as the map itself.
At the prize giving eleven winners and their families gathered by the Map at St
Mary’s Church. The ceremony opened with a warm welcome from Ben Piper, the
Mayor of Totnes, who praised the success of the entrants and of the ongoing hard
work of the Heritage Trust.
Prizes were presented by Matt Harvey, Totnes’ very own poet, known nationwide for
his fantastically entertaining poetry and as host of Radio 4’s poetry cabaret
Wondermentalist. In September, Matt led the judging team with Totnes town
councillors Georgina Allen and Emily Price, both of whom are members of the
heritage trust and have a wealth of literary knowledge and experience between them.
The twelfth winner, Aviva Fleisher, lives in the US but, like the stars at the Oscar
ceremonies, she was able to join the event by link to be congratulated by Matt and
see her grandmother accept her prize on her behalf.
“The entries were of a very high standard,” said Matt, “which made the judging
difficult. The overall winning story, Kip Pratt’s How the Bridgetown Safari Came to
be, is a colourful, mythic tale that skilfully combined elements of Totnes topography
and history while simply being a great story.”
An anthology of the winning stories is being compiled. Watch out for more
information about how a copy can be obtained.
This was a great afternoon and a fitting conclusion to a very successful competition.
The trustees of the Totnes Heritage Trust would like to thank
everyone in Totnes for their wonderful support and enthusiasm
for the St Mary’s Reordering Project during 2021.
We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a bright New Year.