Hampshire’s chalk streams are some of its most precious wild places. These globally rare habitats are home to iconic species like the otter, water vole, brown trout, and kingfisher. Over the years, their gentle beauty has inspired authors like Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, and Richard Adams (the author of Watership Down).
In 2024, the Tales from the Riverbank Poetry Competition encouraged young people to explore their own creativity through writing. As part of the Watercress and Winterbournes Landscape Partnership Scheme, it was open to communities living near seven beautiful chalk streams in north and central Hampshire.
All of the young poets who entered the competition showed incredible talent and truly captured the unique magic of chalk streams. This anthology contains the 16 prize-winning entries, with authors who range from 7 to 17 years in age. Dive in to discover a world filled with water, wildlife, and wonder.
The Watercress and Winterbournes scheme is made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Our thanks to National Lottery players for enabling us to celebrate the creativity of young people in our area.
Foreword
Soft fascination, it’s called. The state of effortless attentiveness we often find when contemplating moving water. Something about the light and motion is simultaneously captivating and liberating. It can help relieve stress and anxiety, which is why time by water usually feels like time well spent. It also opens the mind, I’ve found, helping us take imaginative journeys, following water through time and space. Wonder-wanders, you might call them. I think the young contributors to this collection would know what I mean.
Saying what we really feel can be hard, but the flow of words in these pages reflect what I have also found… that rivers unlock something in us. There are poems here that lilt, ripple, seep, and cascade as water does – enriched with dreams and longings, luminous with insight and reflection. There are some too that surge, shock and chill – as water also does, because water is never wholly or forever one thing. The ultimate lessons of water are perhaps that a thing can change while remaining itself, and that everything is connected.
All these writings are remarkable in their own right, but knowing the poets are so young makes them especially so. I’ve been so moved by them, and by the willingness of their writers to commit their hearts and their vulnerability to words for sharing, in service to nature. Reading them reminds me why we need poetry, perhaps now more than ever.
Amy-Jane Beer
The Chalk Stream
Glistening and shimmering, making ripples through the reeds. That’s what the water does.
Splashing and frolicking, protecting its cubs. That’s what the otter does.
Waiting and watching, diving to catch fish. That’s what the kingfisher does.
Burrowing and scurrying, paddling here and there. That’s what the water vole does.
Floating and hiding, weaving in and out of the weeds. That’s what the trout does.
Flittering and fluttering, darting and hovering. That’s what the dragonfly does.
Watching and listening, taking it all in.
That’s what the girl does.
Mabel Martin
The River’s Five Senses
If you hear a plop, then you know a water vole has dropped into the river.
If you see a flash, going really fast then a kingfisher has got his dinner.
If you feel an eel while it’s having its meal then you know it’s a healthy river.
If you catch a trout, when it’s swimming about then you’ll have a taste like no other.
If you smell the rain then you know the water will come again, flowing down the river.
Edward Nethercott
Chirp, Quack, Plonk, Splash and Squelch
The willow drapes over the slowly swishing steam. The birds tweet, chirp, caw, and coo above me
As I watch the river slowly move by.
The swans fly and skid along the water, The ducks are quacking and diving for fish. While the river is rippling, I dig for colourful stones on the riverbed. When I dig for stones, cloudy white chalk comes out.
I throw rocks as high and as far as I can. Smooth and bumpy, Sharp edged flints plonk into the water with a big splash. The cold water tempts me in.
When I step out of the water, the squelchy mud Feels nice and squishy in between my toes.
My feet are cold and numb in the water
And the water ripples by.
Amber McClelland Morris
Spectacular Streams
Spectacular streams, sun flashing its beams, on the waters below.
Ripples create a picture, plants the most beautiful feature, climbing the stairs of the sky.
Sparkling waters are crystal clear, calm and peaceful here, fish wriggle from side to side, then dart away and hide.
Freya Carmel Griffiths
Chalk Stream
Chuckles like a tickled baby
Happy quacking ducks laughing at a joke
A water vole hides in the reeds
Leaves dabbling the surface
Kingfisher dives gracefully to snap up its prey
Salmon dart and dodge
Trout shimmers like golden treasure
Rippling river gets touched by the wind
Eager otters play with some pebbles
Ancient chalk lies at the bottom
Mayflies dance to the song of the breeze
Eden Baker
By the Stream, I Dream
The ripples of the stream, blur green shadows of trees
The clear river grasses sway and dream, bending to where the water leads
The damp soil after rain, the aroma of wood and flowers
Soft leaves dance on the branches, tall oaks standing like towers
The quiet disturbed, splash, as a duck dives down for snacks
Now trout strike in a flash, like an army ready to attack
Pitter patter go the stones, I reach in the water to feel
Icy water calls in soft tone, urging me to lift my heels
I imagine I’m one of the fish, to swim in waters that glow
I imagine I’m one of the ducks, I can follow the stream’s flow
The green branches protect their home, all the way to the paths new
The water can venture to places unknown, I believe we can do so too
Angelina Ayres
If You Take the Time...
If you take the time to stop and stare, you will notice the wildlife that is there.
The Otter, the Water Vole and the Mouse, all live in this flora house.
Beneath the rare and wild grasses, lies a magical kingdom; the busy human passes.
Scurrying, collecting, building, making dens, creating safe places for their family and friends.
Crystal-clear waters flow over the gravelly beds, sparkling like a treasure chest. These precious gems glisten in the sun, they are to be enjoyed by everyone.
The mud, the shingle, chalk and stone, camouflage the trout and salmon down below.
Zipping, splashing and dashing with the water’s flow, speeding with the current they go.
Above the stream, in the skies, you will see the magnificent and colourful dragonflies.
Swooping and gliding gracefully through the air, their wings fluttering without a care.
This serene beauty and vibrant wildlife is where you will hear nature’s orchestra. When you take the time……… LISTEN!
Rio Dominguez
Hubble Bubble
“Hubble Bubble,”
Giggled the stream, Swift yet unruffled, As it brushed past the reeds. As clear as crystal, It snaked through the trees. Past countryside pastures, Towards roaring grey seas, Where there it would frolic, With bottlenose dolphins, And swirl through kelp so green. And there its river days Would turn to memories, Of what it was like to be a Chalk Stream.
Emmeline Fryer
Chalk Streams
Arose from the springs
Of a chalk bedrock atmosphere
Occur only in places unique
Where brown trout hide
Where the water waves hello
Take it all in
Take a deep breath
Feel the clear water
As it holds onto your hand
Feel relaxed as
The rare waters give you faith
That the earth is beautiful
Emily Leighton
Riverbanks
River’s calm waves sway in the gentle breeze.
Indeed, it is ideal for a nice picnic and take a moment to relax.
View elegant butterflies roaming and fluttering in the distance.
Earth has these wonderful rivers and scenery for us to enjoy.
Reading beside the riverbank is another way for a peaceful afternoon.
Breathtaking views are seen as far as the eye can see.
Acorns from nearby trees fall gracefully.
Nature is unfolded right in front of your eyes, how amazing.
Kids laughing in delight and enjoying the fresh air of the countryside.
Streams gleam in the sun’s angles.
Izzy Reeves
Sandwiches on the Bank
The stream stretches out like an ocean before my eyes
And I extend a tiny hand
“It’s too deep to paddle!” you tell me
And laugh at a punchline I don’t understand
You pass me a rod, a miniature version of your own
And lead me to the earthy edge
You stand, but I kneel and peer into the water - at frogspawn and algae and stone
I babble like the river all day long, you don’t complain or fret
So we sit for hours filled by chatter
And I let myself forget you’re gone, because I think I’ve worked out where you went
You’re the quiet twinkle in the stream, murmuring the river’s folklore
And the hastily-made sandwiches on the bank can wait for us once more
Amelia O’Hara
Whisper of the Willow
The wind was gentle, as it made the willows sway like a comb through hair. Its wispy leaves a soft cushion of nature. As a worn rope swings, its tire long gone, barely skimming the river’s surface. The frayed wire, worn down by memories, is now practically part of the tree.
Georgia Marriner
I Wonder...
I wonder why the long reeds blow, I wonder if the fishes know, I wonder how the swans get by, I wonder when the ducks will fly, I wonder about the breeze in the trees, I wonder if the river will freeze, I wonder if the otter gets cold, I wonder if this trail will get old, I wonder, I wonder, I wonder, All these things about the riverbank, And everything we have to thank…
Penny Carter
The Critical Crayfish
I once held meaning, to gods, to powerful civilisations
I was a symbol of emotional sensitivity, concealment, regeneration
Now I am never thought of, never seen and never heard
The blissful streams I call home are admired but never helped.
My numbers decrease through time
My habitat decreases through time
Your care increases, but your actions don’t By the time you do, it will be too late.
You praise our rivers for being as clear as diamonds
Yet, are they not clear enough to see the destruction you cause?
The shrinking banks, the litres of sewage being pumped into my home
Our unmatched beauty won’t stay if this carries on.
I was thought of as an emblem for leaving the past behind Is that all we will be? The past...
Isla Press
A Trout’s Daydream
Here he sits just waiting for it. It is the only thing one fisherman could think about, that was catching a big fat trout.
If he wasn’t in a dream the boy might have seen a little brown gleam in a further yond stream. If he just moved his lead he would have been catching more than just reeds but who was he to question a dream.
Ralph Nethercott
Sunrise Over the Itchen
A mellow glow kisses the surface
And the aquatic community yawns away its dormancy. A colossal willow extends, stretching her weary arms And tickling the ripples of water beneath, As golden hues seep through, encapsulating delicate emeralds below the surface.
Water cascades over the fine white nuggets, Embracing them as they tumble and trundle along the bed, Slaloming amid the intertwining fingers of the water crowfoot below.
A sudden flash of vivid turquoise, ablaze with metallic copper, Darts beneath and showers the bank with a thrilling chill of liquid glass,
Stirring the torpedo trout as it propels itself into the veil of mist above.
The stream is alive.
Safiya Husain
Finding inspiration
We hope you enjoyed these fantastic chalk stream poems and are feeling inspired to write your own. There are many public places in Hampshire where you can see chalk streams, if you’re able to visit in person. Look for a place where you can explore with your senses.
Study the stream with your eyes - what shapes and colours can you see? Notice how the water flows and how the plants move in the wind. If there are animals, what are they doing? Try touching leaves, soil, or pebbles. If you can safely reach the water, how does it feel?
Take in the sounds around you - can you hear birds chirping, water flowing, or wind blowing? What noises do your feet make on the ground? Pay attention to scents in the air - are there flowers nearby? You might even smell the water on a hot day, or the soil after it rains.
Lastly, use your imagination. Envisage yourself as a chalk stream animal - what might your life be like? Pretend to interview the stream and ask it to describe itself. What might it have been like 100 years ago, and how might it be different 100 years from now?
Dive into a wild and watery world, with sixteen poems about chalk streams.
Penned by young poets in Hampshire, each beautifully captures the vibrancy of these globally rare rivers. Evocative, poignant, and thought-provoking, this anthology re��ects on what chalk streams mean to the communities who live alongside them.
