LESS than a week after he received a prestigious prize for his own work, renowned poet Simon Armitage was on hand to read the poem selected to win the 2010 High Sheriff’s Cheshire Prize for Literature.

Rita Ray, from Lymm, took the £2,000 first prize for her poem entitled Still Life with Oranges and Walnuts (Luis Melendez) and was presented with her award by the northern bard who scooped this year’s Keats-Shelley poetry prize just days before.

As the winner of the competition, sponsored by Chester-based Bank of America Europe Card Services for the fifth consecutive year, was revealed, and the first line of her poem was read out, Rita was ‘absolutely astonished’.

A retired English lecturer, she is a member of North West based group SixPoets and has published several poems and children’s stories.

She said: “I was listening to them announce the winners in reverse order and then I heard Simon Armitage say the first line of my poem and I thought ‘my goodness – that’s mine that he’s reading’, and I just froze like a rabbit in the headlights.

“Then, as it began to sink in, I got quite excited and started saying to the people that I was with ‘that’s my poem he’s reading!’. It was a real privilege to hear him reading out my work, I felt very honoured.”

John Greaves, communications executive for Bank of America Europe Card Services, said: “We were delighted to support the Cheshire Prize for Literature again this year. The standards were as high as they have ever been and our congratulations go to all of the winners.

“Bank of America is committed to the enrichment of art and culture through our communities and this is certainly a prize that celebrates the diverse creative talents of this region.”

The runner-up was Helen Clare, from Levenshulme, Manchester, for her poem Gerris Lacustris (translated as Pond Skater). Helen, who has worked as a writer in schools across Warrington, Cheadle and Stockport, and has published a book of poetry called Mollusc, won £400 for her entry.

She said: “It was a great feeling when they read out my name – I was thrilled to be named runner-up.”

A pair of Cheshire Prize veterans were also awarded for their entries. Former winner and runner-up Simon Gotts, from St Asaph, Denbighshire, received £250 for his piece The Careers Master; and former runner-up Clive McWilliam, from Queens Park, Chester, was awarded £100 for his poem Spellbound.

Now in its eighth year, The Cheshire Prize for Literature has become established as one of the North-West’s leading writing competitions.

Organised by the University of Chester and sponsored by Bank of America Europe Card Services, the competition is open, not only to individuals who live in Cheshire, but also to those who have other connections with the county.