Beautiful Britain family travel writing contest call for submissions

A family travel writing competition celebrating the beauty of Britain is calling for submissions.

The contest at www.havealovelytime.com has a top prize of £200, a second prize of a weekend stay at the Park Inn in historic York and an English Heritage family pass for everyone finishing in the top ten, as well as a copy of Travelling with Children, by Catherine Cooper, one of the competition’s judges.

There’s also a mystery prize on offer for the entry voted readers’ favourite after the competition closes on October 1, 2011.

Journalist and author Linda Jones who edits Have a lovely time, and is Catherine’s fellow judge, adds: “We want to celebrate all that’s great about family tourism in our stunning land. That might include breathtaking adventures in the Lakes, laughing til your sides ache at a family-friendly Edinburgh festival, savouring the splendour of the West Wales coastline, a Devon cream tea or a knees up at a holiday park…or of course plenty more.

“Wherever you love to find quality family time in Britain – we want to hear about it. We’re looking for entries about family holidays, breaks, days out or adventures.

“Perhaps your stories could be inspired by firing your imagination at an English Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk) property – as we’re delighted they are backing our contest – and there are so many adventures to be had for you and your family.

“We won’t tell you what we mean by ‘family’ – so long as you feel the title fits, that’s fine by us. Perhaps the break you want to write about is a first one without children when they’ve flown the nest. Maybe you don’t have children but consider a beloved pet part of your family."

A first entry is free but if you’d like to try more than once, there’s a fee of £5 per subsequent entry. If you’d like a professional critique of your submission you can pay £12.50 for feedback on your style, structure and content. A proportion of all fees paid will be split between Have a Lovely Time’s chosen charity, CCPA (www.ccpa.org.uk) (formerly NACCPO) and their support for an organisation called the Torbay Holiday Helpers Network (www.thhn.co.uk) which helps offer free holidays, to families who have seriously ill life threatening/limiting, terminally ill and recently bereaved children.

Prizes:
1st prize
• £200
• English Heritage family day pass to visit a property of your choice
• Copy of Travelling with Children by Catherine Cooper
2nd prize
• Weekend break at the Park Inn, York
• English Heritage family day pass to visit a property of your choice
• Copy of Travelling with Children by Catherine Cooper

3rd – 10th prizes – Highly commended
• English Heritage family day pass to visit a property of your choice
• Copy of Travelling with Children by Catherine Cooper

More details and contributors’ guidelines can be found at www.havealovelytime.com

About the judges:
Catherine Cooper is a freelance journalist specialising in travel with children. Her clients include The Sunday Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian, The Baby Directory, Practical Parenting and several airline magazines.
Catherine has written extensively about travels she has taken with her own children since they were babies. Family trips have included mule-trekking in the Atlas Mountains, a city-break to Marrakech, donkey-trekking in France, beach holidays and skiing holidays as well as visits to Butlins, camping in the UK and abroad, self-catering cottage holidays and many others. Last year Catherine and her family relocated from London to the South of France.

Linda Jones is editor of Have a Lovely Time and Ready for Ten. She wrote her first freelance travel article in 1994 when she was working in St Petersburg, Russia and helped launch a travel and lifestyle magazine. She has reported from France, Spain and the US for regional UK evening newspapers and as a freelance has contributed features to most women’s weekly magazines and national newspapers. These days Linda is the director of Midlands agency Passionate Media where she also runs popular workshops for established and aspiring writers.