CARMEL Allison is officially the Cleveleys champion poet after having her work printed in the 1999 National Poetry Anthology which prints the best poems from all over the UK.

The literary lady from Whitley Avenue, answered the call to find new poetry talent and after putting pen to paper to compose the winning poem Retirement, publishers Byword decided she was made of the write stuff.

Carmel, a retired cashier, said: "I was really surprised to say the least when I learnt that my poem had been picked.

"It used to be a bit of a hobby, but it started getting serious when I began to want to see my work in print.

"But I haven't had any lessons and get my inspiration from the things I see in real life.

"It's such a really nice feeling to know that people will be reading and hopefully enjoying my work."

The book, priced at £9.99, features winning entries from a free annual competition and includes more than 100 pieces from hopefuls - and it's proved so popular that Byword has reopened the competition aiming to select 300 poems for the Millennium edition.

Editor Peter Quinn said: "The anthology is designed to encourage new writers. We're looking for poems on any subject but they must not be previously published. The 1999 edition has been a big success but we want our Millennium edition to be even bigger."

So send your three poems (up to 20 lines or 160 words each) with a first class stamp to Byword, 1 Yorke Street, Burnley, BB11 1NW before June 25.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.