Category: Radio
2
Date: 17.10.2004
Printable version
The BBC announced
today the winners of its new hymn lyric writing competition.
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
BBC's newly launched faith pages on the Where I Live sites, was a partnership
between BBC Radio 2's Sunday Half Hour and BBC 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 BBC and broadcast on
Sundays on BBC 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 BBC English Regions,
said: "This competition proves that there is a huge appetite for
new and modern worship songs in churches.
"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 BBC Birmingham Press Office.
Radio 2's Sunday Half Hour is on Sundays, 8.309.00pm
