Budding poets are being invited to celebrate Thomas Hardy.

Developers of Casterbridge Court - a new retirement development on London Road - McCarthy Stone are asking Dorchester residents to honour the Dorset-based author with a poetry competition.

The poems can be of any length and on any theme, but residents must take inspiration from Hardy and his work. This could include focusing on one of Hardy's recurring poetry themes.

The chairman of the Thomas Hardy Society, Dr Tony Fincham, will judge the competition, with the winning entrant being awarded £150 book vouchers.

Nicki Beswarick, divisional marketing manager for McCarthy Stone Southern, said: "Thomas Hardy is one of Britain's most famous novelists and poets and his work is still studied in schools today.

"Our Dorchester development, Casterbridge Court, is named after his novel, the Major of Casterbridge, so we thought it was only fitting we launch a poetry competition to celebrate his writing.

"We'd like to encourage anyone in Dorchester who is interested in Thomas Hardy, has a flair for poetry writing or would simply like to turn their hand to a new hobby, to enter into our competition for the opportunity to win £150 book vouchers."

Each entrant is permitted to submit one poem. These should be emailed to [email protected] by Sunday, March 28 with 'Dorchester Poetry Contest' in the subject. The email should also include your full name, age and contact details. The competition is open to adults aged 18 and over.

Casterbridge Court is currently under construction and will be a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments.

To find out more, visit mccarthystone.co.uk

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