WLTA President Sally Jones is helping to promote these national awards which are being launched to stimulate the creativity of older people marooned at home amid the lockdown.

 Backed by Gyles Brandreth and Julian Lloyd-Webber, the King Lear Prizes are the brainchild of Andrew Browning, 29, from Harborne to encourage the over 70s who are stuck at home to get creative in Art, Writing, Music, Poetry and Drama. Andrew Browning is an Old Edwardian and has been working as a strategist for Andy Street the Mayor of Birmingham.

The Prizes take their name from Shakespeare’s play King Lear which was written in 1605-1606 during outbreaks of the plague in London.

There are £1000 prizes on offer for the best entries and big-name judges in all the categories. Do get involved or pass on the link to any over-70s without a professional background in the arts, who might enjoy entering one of the categories. The organisers hope to offer a similar scheme for young people in the coming weeks – watch this space.

www.kinglearprizes.org.uk