POETS have been going wild with success in Otley.

Wildlife was the theme of this years's Otley Poetry Competition which attracted entries from more than 200 writers.

Organised and sponsored by Otley's Half Moon Books, the event was held in conjunction with campaign group Wildlife Friendly Otley and supported by Otley Town Partnership.

The winners were announced at Otley Courthouse on Saturday, September 22 when an Open Spoken Poetry contest was also held.

The winning wildlife-themed poem was Owl-Light by Victoria Gatehouse from Ripponden, with John Foggin, from Ossette, taking the runner-up spot with The Bright Silences.

The winning entry in the Otley-Only category, meanwhile, was Not River by Nick Allen, a poet from Keighley who is published by Half Moon Books.

Competition judge Gaia Holmes said: "There were poems that mourned man’s destruction of nature and shouted: 'Just look at what we're doing to our planet!'.

"There were also poems which addressed the issues of dog mess, micro beads, lawn management, fly tipping, global warming and consumerism - and quirky poems that charted the metamorphosis of humans into bears, dogs, ducks and hedgehogs."

Andrew McKeon, from Wildlife Friendly Otley, added: "The huge variety and richness of the wildlife poems in the competition did more than justice to the subject and superbly reflected the diversity of nature and wildlife in our towns and countryside, as well as the numerous threats.

"We congratulate Half Moon Books and all the poets involved for their enthusiasm and deep engagement with the subject of wildlife."

Joint organiser Peter White, of Half Moon Books, thanked the entrants and Otley Town Partnership for their support.

He said: "It’s a joy to be involved with such a talented bunch of poets.

"We had great support from our friends in and around Otley, across the UK and, thanks to the Internet, a few from abroad."

For more details about Wildlife Friendly Otley send an e-mail to wildlifefriendlyotley@gmail.com .