A young Cramlington poet is using his talent to raise funds for the people of Ukraine

A poem about the war in Ukraine written by a youngster from Northburn in Cramlington is raising funds to support Ukrainian refugees.

Laurence, age twelve, said “After studying World War One poetry in English lately, I was inspired to express my feelings towards the current crisis in Ukraine using poetry.”

“I freely admit that usually I dislike and am hesitant towards writing poetry! However, seeing what is happening right now in Ukraine, and the effect that the situation is having on so many people is awful, so when I came to writing my poem, all my emotions came together very quickly.I hope the poem brings hope to people who are affected by what is happening and that they know that we care”.

The poem, titled ‘War’, reads:

Peaceful and silent,
The city stood, in a pocket of bliss,
Not a worry in sight…
Until it came;
A creature of horrifying strength
Broke out of its shell to release its might.

It came without warning or provocation,
It had its dream of extinguishing hope;
To make a vow of fulfilling its destiny,
Bursting from the shadows it came.

The beast cried out a terrifyingly eerie cry,
As it unleashed its wrath across the land.
Breaking the peace that once existed
But little did the creature know
That despite its efforts it was all in vain,
As hope always wins.

Laurence’s poem has already raised over £300 but not to be outdone, younger sister Thea wanted to raise funds too! Thea said “I completed a sponsored silence. It was very hard to keep quiet but it was worth it as I have raised £590.88!”

Cramlington Town Mayor Loraine De Simone said: “Laurence has written an incredibly moving poem, and I find it even more impressive after learning he is autistic. I congratulate him and his sister for their fund-raising to help Ukrainian refugees.”

Laurence was delighted that he was been able to present a copy of the poem to The Duke of Northumberland and he was equally excited a few days later to receive a letter from the Prime Minister after the poem was sent to Downing Street by local MP Ian Levy. The letter expressed the Prime Minister’s gratitude for Laurence’s excellent and evocative poem.

If reading Laurence’s poem has inspired you to donate please follow the link HERE:

Pictured below: Laurence with sister Thea, mum Joanna and dad Colin meeting the Duke of Northumberland.