Our School Cadet Engagement Officer, Jimmy Duggan, has been chosen as a volunteer judge for this year’s BBC 500 Words children’s story writing competition.
500 Words celebrates children’s creativity and imagination, encouraging children from across the UK to create an original story in 500 words or fewer. Volunteer judges will start to receive their stories from Monday 9 November, which Jimmy is looking forward to getting started.
“I volunteered to be a judge to celebrate children’s creativity and support literacy,” Jimmy explained. “I most look forward to experiencing the unfiltered imaginations of children and discovering the unique ways young minds see the world. As a judge I get the opportunity to read pure, uninhibited creativity where children can experiment boldly with language. I’m sure there will be an element of surprise and being caught off guard by stories that are wild, bonkers, and entirely unexpected. I’m expecting everything from laugh-out-loud comedy to deep, heartfelt emotion – all within 500 words!”
Jimmy served in the Army for 37 years, retiring in September 2020. In his current role he supports schools in setting up and developing Combined Cadet Force (CCF) units. He has a passion for reading and writing short stories.
He said: “I still have a relationship with childhood reading, and it remains a core part of my life especially in my own story writing.” Books that I have fond memories of are The Famous Five stories by Enid Blyton, which was a staple at school. I read these to my nieces, as they were growing up, and looked back fondly on the magic of her stories.
“The Chronicles of Narnia and Swallows and Amazons are also classics, known for their themes of outdoor adventure, self-reliance, and childhood independence – funnily enough that is very much exactly like what the cadet experience delivers!”
The 500 Words competition attracts thousands of entries each year, and winners will be revealed in March 2027. Jimmy thinks it’s important for all children to write their own stories.
“Engaging with creative writing is incredibly important for children, as it serves as a powerful catalyst for both academic success and emotional well-being,” said Jimmy. “Far from being just a fun rainy-day activity, creating stories and poems shapes how young minds process the world, communicate, and solve problems. To tell a great story, children naturally reach for new words and experiment with sentence structures, organically boosting their literacy.”
For more information on the 500 Words competition see www.bbc.co.uk/teach/500-words.
