THE opening of Bewdley Civic Society’s exhibition about war-time MP Stanley Baldwin featured prizes being awarded to students of the town’s secondary school.

The exhibition, developed from the society’s School Heritage Project with the Bewdley School and Sixth Form Centre, has become an annual event as it aims to encourage local young people to take an interest and pride in the history of the town.

A 2-day long workshop saw year 7 and year 9 students produce creative war poetry conveying the experiences of soldiers in the trenches.

Prize winners were Joshua Kerr for history research, Isobel Smith for art in history research, Gabriel Peltier for poetry writing and reading, and Callum Green for music performance.

Focusing the project on Bewdley-native, Stanley Baldwin, who was the town’s MP for 30 years during the first half of the 20th century and three-time Prime Minister, linked it to the First World War in its anniversary year.

The Civic Society is also celebrating an anniversary this year, which, when first formed 70 years ago in 1944, appointed Stanley Baldwin as its president.