• Login
  • Donate
  • Programmes
    • Young Writers Programme
    • London Voice
    • Connect events
    • Young Writers Festival
    • Young Mentors
    • Young Writers Residential
    • Folio Academy Mentorships
    • Philip Pyke Memorial Prize
    • National Writing Day
  • Writers
    • Our ambassadors
    • Our writers
    • Become a First Story writer
  • Schools
    • Partner schools HUB
    • Resources for partner schools
    • Become a partner school
    • Sample writing by participants
    • Free writing resources
    • Free Festival Toolkit
    • Free copyright education resources
    • BBC Teach x First Story resources
  • Locations
    • East Midlands
    • Greater London
    • North West
    • Yorkshire
  • About
    • About First Story
    • News
    • Impact Report 2023/24
    • Impact stories
    • Staff and trustees
    • Vacancies
  • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Newsletter sign-up
    • Make a donation
  • Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

First Story

Creative writing charity for young people

  • Login
  • Donate
  • Programmes
    • Young Writers Programme
    • London Voice
    • Connect events
    • Young Writers Festival
    • Young Mentors
    • Young Writers Residential
    • Folio Academy Mentorships
    • Philip Pyke Memorial Prize
    • National Writing Day
  • Writers
    • Our ambassadors
    • Our writers
    • Become a First Story writer
  • Schools
    • Partner schools HUB
    • Resources for partner schools
    • Become a partner school
    • Sample writing by participants
    • Free writing resources
    • Free Festival Toolkit
    • Free copyright education resources
    • BBC Teach x First Story resources
  • Locations
    • East Midlands
    • Greater London
    • North West
    • Yorkshire
  • About
    • About First Story
    • News
    • Impact Report 2023/24
    • Impact stories
    • Staff and trustees
    • Vacancies
  • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Newsletter sign-up
    • Make a donation

North of England

Tiny Poems Competition Winners 2024/25 

3 July 2025 //  by First Story

We're excited to announce the winners of our first ever Tiny Poems Competition - for poems of five lines or fewer. Participation was high, with 231 young writers taking part. This year's judges …

Category: Competitions, London, Manchester, News, North of England, North West, Partnerships, Yorkshire

Young Writers Festival North Highlights 2025

23 June 2025 //  by First Story

On 3 June 2025, First Story participants from Bradford, Manchester and Rochdale came together at Manchester Metropolitan University, to take part in our first ever Young Writers Festival North. Hosted …

Category: Manchester, News, North of England, North West, Partnerships, Writers, Young Writers Festival

Six Word Story Competition Winners 2024/25 

23 January 2025 //  by First Story

Our annual Six Word Story competition is a challenge in concise storytelling. Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s famous six word story “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” we ask our young …

Category: Competitions, London, Manchester, News, North of England, North West, Partnerships, Yorkshire

Young Writers Festival Highlights 2024

24 April 2024 //  by First Story

On 27 March 2024, nearly 300 First Story participants from across England came together at Downing College, University of Cambridge, to take part in our annual Young Writers Festival. It was a day …

Category: Alumni, East Midlands, London, News, North of England, North West, Partnerships, Writers, Young Writers Festival

Huddersfield Connect 2023

25 July 2023 //  by First Story

35 students from three schools took part in our Yorkshire Connect event at the University of Huddersfield in July 2023. Students from Co-op Academy Grange, Titus Salt School and Carlton Keighley …

Category: News, North of England

Folio mentorships 2023 showcase

18 July 2023 //  by First Story

The Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships scheme gives talented First Story alumni the opportunity to be mentored for one year by experienced, acclaimed writers from the Folio Academy. On 15 July our …

Category: Alumni, East Midlands, London, News, North of England, Partnerships

School Writing Trail with Manchester City of Literature

20 June 2023 //  by First Story

Nineteen students from the six local schools who took part in Manchester Connect event in April 2023 featured in Manchester UNESCO City of Literature's first Schools' Writing Trail in June …

Category: News, North of England, Partnerships

Manchester Connect event

28 April 2023 //  by First Story

Ninety five students from six local schools took part in our first Manchester Connect event in April 2023. In collaboration with the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, …

Category: News, North of England

Young Writers Festival Highlights 2023

24 April 2023 //  by First Story

On 30 March 2023, more than 240 First Story participants from across England came together at the University of Cambridge to take part in our annual Young Writers Festival. Held for the first time at …

Category: Alumni, East Midlands, London, News, North of England, Partnerships, Writers, Young Ambassadors, Young Writers Festival

Working with First Story: a librarian’s perspective

14 March 2023 //  by First Story

Dianne Blashill is the School Librarian at Co-op Academy Grange, and she has worked with First Story as School Lead for the Young Writers Programme for the last six years after several previous years …

Category: News, North of England, Writers

Announcing: Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships 2022/23

22 November 2022 //  by First Story

We are now in the sixth year of our partnership with the prestigious Rathbones Folio Prize, through which talented First Story students benefit from working one-to-one with an acclaimed writer from …

Category: Alumni, East Midlands, London, News, North of England, Partnerships

Passing the Parcel at The Portico Library

14 October 2022 //  by First Story

First Story and The Writing Squad came together to highlight opportunities available for young writers in Greater Manchester in a taster session hosted by The Portico Library. Through a set of …

Category: News, North of England, Partnerships, Teachers, Writers

Folio mentorships 2022 showcase

4 September 2022 //  by First Story

The Rathbones Folio Prize Mentorships scheme gives talented First Story alumni the opportunity to be mentored for one year by experienced, acclaimed writers from the Folio Academy. On a hot summer …

Category: Alumni, East Midlands, News, North of England, Partnerships

Celebrating our very first set of ecopoetry competition winners!

7 July 2021 //  by First Story

What a year it’s been! A year more turbulent than ever with the effects of a global pandemic creating an acute social, political and economic crisis more pressing than any other in living memory for …

Category: Competitions, News, North of England

Young Ambassadors programme pilot

7 July 2021 //  by First Story

We announced First Story's new Young Ambassadors programme with much excitement in autumn 2020. At that time, we had no idea what lay ahead in terms of the impacts of the pandemic; contending with …

Category: East Midlands, National Writing Day, North of England, Young Ambassadors

100-Word Story Competition winners 2021 – What a year!

7 June 2021 //  by First Story

It’s almost unimaginable to think back to last year’s 100-Word Story Competition, the deadline for which closed just before the first ever lockdown. How things have changed since! How our stories have …

Category: Competitions, News, North of England

Hull College students’ response to 21st century pressures: We Are Strong

12 March 2020 //  by First Story

Last month, an inspiring group of young women from Hull College staged an event to launch their new First Story group anthology, for which they chose the title We Are Strong, and in which they have …

Category: Anthologies, News, North of England

Above Footer

First Story's funders include

Footer

Contact us

44 Webber Street
London
SE1 8QW

020 7481 7777

info@firststory.org.uk

  • First Story East Midlands
  • First Story London
  • First Story North West
  • First Story Yorkshire
  • Vacancies
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Safeguarding
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Notice
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Site Footer

© First Story Ltd. All rights reserved | Registered Charity No: 1122939 | Company No: 06487410