As part of Aireborough Youth Forum’s ‘Growing Up in Aireborough’ theme, Guiseley, St Oswald’s Church of England School had a poetry competition. Below are a selection of poems which each received a number of votes at the Aireborough Youth Conference.
Growing Up in Guiseley
When I was little
I went to Guiseley wells
The church was near
We could hear the bells.
When I was a bit older
My sister Phoebe was ten
We dressed up in party clothes
And went to Zen.
Now I am nine
I can swim three lengths of the pool
at Aireborough Leisure Centre,
over the road from my school.
In the future,
I want to dig things up
I’ll be an archaeologist
In Guiseley I’ll find a Roman cup.
GT, Age 9, St Oswald’s CofE School
Guiseley
My name is Isaac and I live in Guiseley,I have a hamster and a house up a tree
I like living here, it think it’s really cool
The only thing bad is my school:
We have to stay inside and work all day
When all I want to do is go out and play
I could be out swimming or at the climbing wall
I could be playing cricket or even football
I could go to Yeadon dam and sail my boat
But it’s always flipping freezing so I’ll need my coat.
I’ve lived here all my life
And made lots of friends,
Guiseley is best: the end
IP, Age 9, St Oswald’s CofE School
Aireborough Vision
I had a vision, Aireborough’s vision, Aireborough’s vision for the future
I dreamt it, I dreamt it, it is something I’m going to design
It is such a brilliant idea, I am not going to resign.
It has built, it has built, it has built very well
I am happy here now, it is something I’m not going to sell.
I created something, I created something, something completely new
If you came along, you wouldn’t believe your eyes; but it’s true.
I finished it, I finished it, every little bit was shimmering
But, what stood out the most, has all the buildings glimmering.
There were flowers, they were all over the place
Everywhere you looked there were plants, it was absolutely ace !
NA, Aged 9 , St Oswald’s CofE School
Growing up in Aireborough
Guiseley is a place to treasure
Lots to do for fun and leisure
Fields, hills and countryside
Or lots of shops on Westside.
Leisure centre full of fun
Lovely walks in the sun
Football, cricket, rugby too
Lots of fun for me and you!
CM, Aged 9, St Oswald’s CofE School
Growing up in Aireborough 
Great place to live
Usually beautiful
Is the best place in Leeds
Schools are safe
Everyone is friendly
Lots of places to discover
Everyone is safe
Yeadon is the next town
ZR, St Oswald’s CofE School
Thank you for the post Jennifer, Very talented children – I could not agree with their views more. Inspiring, well constructed and thoughtful poems. I am sure these will have been appreciated by all the recipients of your ANF posts. Great food for though. Thank you. Well done to their schools! Kind Regards, Graham Chaffer
________________________________