An Opportunity to Feature in a Book by a Local Author
24th June 2026
Hello All,
A reminder for all those who are interested that the deadline for submitting bus-inspired writing/pictures is approaching. The work will be collected by Ruth Thompson on the morning of Monday, 29th June. Ideally, we would like to have it by Friday of this week - but do submit on Monday morning at drop-off if your child wants to participate but needs time over the weekend to complete their piece. When I discussed ideas with the children again in assembly this week, I also reminded them that images need to be suitable for scanning/photographing to appear in the book - so to please avoid shiny materials or bulky items if they are collaging.
For your reference, the original message which I shared on Saturday, 13th June is pasted below:
As per the message shared on Tapestry, Ruth Thomson, a local author, is writing a book about our local buses, which will also feature the local bus station which has shut down in Lewes. She has invited contributions from the budding young writers and artists of Western Road!
I discussed her invitation with the children in an assembly this week, and they responded enthusiastically. We came up with the following ideas regarding themes and pieces:
Themes
- The fun of riding on the upper deck of the bus and enjoying the view
- The opportunity to play games/talk with family and friends on the journey
- The adventure of climbing onto a bus near our house and going to the beach / the Downs / a bustling nearby city
- The benefit to the environment of travelling by bus instead of car
- The good value of our local bus service
- Freedom to travel for those who cannot drive
Pieces
- A poem (acrostic, haiku, limerick or any other form)
- A poster persuading people to take local buses
- A picture of a bus / bus journey
- A 'word cloud' of bus-themed descriptions incorporated into a picture
- A persuasive piece about the value of buses (short report)
Please can all entries be on paper. They can be brought into school and put in a designated box for Ruth to collect. The deadline is Monday, 29th June. Please be aware that we cannot accept entries that are emailed in or uploaded onto Tapestry, as it will not be possible to guarantee that these will be collated and added to the paper submissions (we would not want to run the risk of entries being submitted electronically and missed).
Please also ensure that all entries are bold enough to be printed well if selected.
The children understand that only a small number of submissions can be selected. Ruth and I are keen to ensure that all submissions will be exhibited and celebrated though - regardless of whether they are selected for the book. We will be able to put a plan together for this when all the work is submitted.
We look forward to seeing what participants come up with!