A CHARITY set up in memory of a 15-year-old Wirral schoolboy who tragically died from a rare infection has announced its annual poetry competition will be coming to an end.

The Christopher Salmon Foundation in partnership with Wirral Poetry Festival and Wirral Libraries, has announced that next year will be the final Christopher Salmon Poetry Competition.

The annual poetry competition began in 2010 in memory of poetry-loving Christopher Salmon, a student at Calday Grammar School who tragically died from a rare streptococcal virus and pneumonia in February 2009, aged just 15.

After he passed away, his parents discovered a pile of poems he had written and hidden away in his room.

This gave them the idea to launch a poetry competition in his name in order to encourage other young people to express themselves, with confidence, through the medium of poetry.

Every year, under 19s living or being educated in Wirral put pen to paper and submit their own poetry on a different topic.

The theme for 2025’s competition is Hope.

Entry is free and a £100 prize will be awarded to the winner of each of the following five age categories: Age seven and under (KS 1), Age eight-11 (KS 2), Age 11-13 (KS 3), Age 14-16 (KS 4) and Age 16-19 (in full time education).

Entries must be submitted using the official entry form, which are obtainable either from the website Christopher Salmon Poetry Competition 2025 - Wirral Poetry Festival or in hard copy from any Wirral Library.

Entries can either be submitted by email to chrissalmonpoetry@wirral.gov.uk or hard copy entries submitted by post or by hand delivery: FAO Diane Mitchell at Birkenhead Central Library, Borough Road, Birkenhead. CH41 2XB.

The closing date for the receipt of poetry competition entries is noon on Friday March 7 2025.

A spokesperson for the Christopher Salmon Foundation said: “Sadly on the 5th of February 2009 our youngest son Chris Salmon passed away very suddenly aged just 15, from a streptococcal virus and pneumonia.

“He was a loving, caring boy with a charismatic smile who had so much still to give and we his parents and brother wanted his memory to live on and to do this we have set up the Christopher Salmon Foundation.

“Chris's and our friends have been a great source of comfort to us and have been so supportive in helping us fund-raise for this foundation and to them we remain indebted.

“Chris was a student of Calday Grammar School and was just about to sit his GCSEs, he had hopes of becoming an author and dreamt of studying Russian and English at Oxford University.

“His passion for both subjects was infectious and since his untimely death, a book "The Siege of Leningrad" has been published in conjunction with Calday School - the book is dedicated to Chris and contains some of his work. 

“We are delighted to announce the launch of the 15th and sadly what will be the final Christopher Salmon Poetry Competition. 

“We look forward to receiving your entries and thank you so much for your support over the last 15 years, as it has meant a great deal to us to continue to keep Chris’s memory alive.”

For further details and for the full terms and conditions please visit any of the following websites :-www.wirral.gov.uk/libraries or Christopher Salmon Poetry Competition 2025 - Wirral Poetry Festival.