Category: Radio
2
Date: 17.10.2004
Printable version
The Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ announced
today the winners of its new hymn lyric writing competition.
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Robert Wilkie (Perth), Frances Eccleston (Sheffield),
Shiela Lloyd (Ipswich) and Andrew Moll (Norfolk) all impressed the judges
with their poetic and imaginative expressions of worship to God.
The competition, which attracted more than 3,000 entries through the
Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ's newly launched faith pages on the Where I Live sites, was a partnership
between Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Radio 2's Sunday Half Hour and Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Local Radio
stations across Britain.
The four lucky winners will have their words put to new music composed
exclusively for this competition by two of Britain's top Christian composers
– Stuart Townend and Keith Getty.
Stuart Townend said: "I have been really impressed with the quality
of entries. On this evidence the craft of hymn writing is alive and
well in the UK."
The winners will have their work recorded by the Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ and broadcast on
Sundays on Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Local Radio stations across England and Radio 2's Sunday
Half Hour which attracts nearly 2.5 million listeners each week.
Ashley Peatfield, Editor of Religion and Ethics for Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ English Regions,
said: "This competition proves that there is a huge appetite for
new and modern worship songs in churches.
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"We knew our listeners love to write poetry because
they often sent it to us but we have been absolutely overwhelmed by
the volume of entries and the overall standard."
Notes to Editors
The Words and music for the new hymns can be viewed on bbc.co.uk/religion.
Pictures of the four winners are available, for media
use only, from Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Birmingham Press Office.
Radio 2's Sunday Half Hour is on Sundays, 8.30–9.00pm