2022 Year 5 Third Prize
The Fearful Matchgirls by Shahzor
At 8’o’clock girls had to wake up and go to a factory.
You might think that this is a kind one …
Think again, because the terrors of people in the factory are
worse than you think!
In the beautiful country of Britain
A terrible factory treated girls (at the age of six!)
So badly that they couldn’t even take a rest!
“Hurry up! Hurry up! You stupid girl …Faster!”
These girls had to keep on doing this again and again, until
they had enough.
They decided to talk to the boss.
So, they gathered up and kept on talking, until
He finally agreed.
On 5th July 2022, a new English Heritage Blue Plaque was unveiled at Bow Quarter (the old Bryant and May Factory) to commemorate the Matchgirls Strike of 1888.
The Matchgirls Memorial ran a schools poetry competition to celebrate the unveiling.
Judges were Alice Trickey-Roberts, English Heritage Education Visits Officer, Tanya Landman, Author, Emma Purshouse, Writer and and Poet.
Shahzor from Blue Gate Fields Primary School won Third prize in the Year 5 category with the poem, 'Matchgirls'.