Bestselling author, Neil Hanson, visited The Grammar School at Leeds today (Tuesday 19 March), to inspire senior school pupils with entertaining and interactive workshops about the importance of the handwritten word.
The Pen Shop has teamed up with Neil to launch a special creative writing competition for year seven and eight pupils at the school ahead of our new store opening at Trinity Leeds this week. During the workshops, he encouraged the boys and girls aged between 11 and 13, to pick up their pens and begin to fulfill their writing ambitions, in order to win special writing themed prizes from The Pen Shop.
As an acclaimed author of over 40 books, including his bestselling series of popular histories, Ilkley based Neil shared his own experiences as a writer, which have taken him to all corners of the world, and encouraged the pupils to ask their own questions and talk about their aspirations.
Speaking about his visit to The Grammar School at Leeds today, Neil said: “My visit to The Grammar School at Leeds today has been fantastic. The enthusiasm and excitement from all the pupils involved in the workshop was really impressive and it was a pleasure to talk to them about my writing experiences, answer their questions and see their creativity come to life.
“I always carry a pen and paper with me – you never know where your inspiration is going to come from. In today’s digital age, it’s so important that we don’t lose our love of the handwritten word. As an ancient and one of the most individual forms of communication, handwriting is something I am extremely keen to encourage and it’s been great to work with The Pen Shop to support this.”
Head of English at The Grammar School at Leeds, Jenny Bolton, said: “The pupils were enthralled to hear about Neil Hanson’s experiences as a writer and they’re very much looking forward to taking part in The Pen Shop’s creative writing competition.
“Handwriting, creativity and reading play such a big part in life at The Grammar School at Leeds and we were delighted to welcome such a successful author to the school today, bringing together all three disciplines.”
Neil Hanson will join crowds at Leeds’ spectacular new shopping experience, Trinity Leeds, this Thursday, to sign copies of his books at The Pen Shop’s flagship northern store.
Colin McClymont, Managing Director at The Pen Shop, said: “It has been great to team up with author, Neil Hanson, to help inspire an affinity with the written word in the youngsters at The Grammar School at Leeds.
“As our passion for the past 150 years, writing is at the heart of The Pen Shop’s ethos and when you visit us, you can rest assured that you will be given all the guidance and advice you need from people who truly care about helping you find the perfect pen.
“We hope to welcome many people to our flagship new store at Trinity Leeds this Thursday, where they will be able to meet Neil, have their handwriting analysed by a member of the British Graphology Society and view our range of stunning pens.”
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