AN AMATEUR poet has called on East Morton residents to spend a penny in more than one way.

Rhona Emmott has written a limerick singing the praises of turning the village’s public toilets into a community shop.

Rhona’s rhyming talents won her the senior prize in a poetry competition organised by volunteers working on the shop project.

The junior section of the contest, which is held on the day of the recent Morton Gala, was won by eight-year-old Alicia Thorning.

Entrants had to write a poem on the subject of the shop, which is due to open once the toilet block has undergone major conversion work.

Alicia won a family cinema ticket donated by Keighley Picture House after submitting an illustrated poem about the village shop.

Rhona’s amusing limerick about converting the old toilet block into a village shop won her a gift voucher donated by Small Office Supplies in Keighley.

Competition organiser Celia Duxbury said: “The competition was held as part of our on-going fundraising for the Community Shop.

“The main building work has been completed with the money raised through the sale of community shares. We now need to find the funds to pay for the internal work and fittings for the shop.

“We are awaiting the outcome of funding applications and the sale of shares has been extended to December 2017. We are also looking for more volunteers to join our group, especially people who can help us progress towards opening the shop.”

The volunteers want to involve the whole community in the development of the building, which is situated opposite Morton Institute, and had a stall at the gala to give villagers an update on progress.

The winning entries:

In Morton, of shops there weren’t any,

“We want one” cried the voice of the many,

But for this to succeed,

We must buy where we peed,

And spend pounds where we once spent a penny!

By Rhona Emmott

The Village Shop is a wonderful place

And people can go there without a rush and race.

It has food, drinks and supplies,

This shop will blow your mind with surprise.

There’s always someone to talk to

For me and for you.

This is the Village Shop

Where everything is brand new.

By Alicia Thorning, age eight