THE Charles Causley Trust in Launceston have taken on two Plymouth University interns for 2019.

The Causley Trust is a charity, which aims to maintain the legacy of the Cornish and internationally influential twentieth century poet Charles Causley. Not only do the trust aim to preserve his literary presence, but they also encourage new creative, literary and artistic activity in Launceston and the surrounding areas of Cornwall and Devon.

In partnership with Plymouth University, the trust will be taking on two interns, Rose Bonner and Mitchell Gregory, to support their literature, residency and events programme. Rose studies English with publishing and Mitchell studies English, and both are keen to gain experience in the world of work.

Over the years, the Causley Trust have run a number of events such as poetry competitions and workshops, as well as their annual Festival of Arts and Literature. The annual poetry competition (the Charles Causley International Poetry Competition) became a tradition in 2013 to celebrate Charles Causley’s poetry and attracts entries from around the world. The competition has expanded and has since become an international event, open to people of all ages, with an additional competition, the Young Person’s Competition for children and young adults aged five to 28 years. This year’s winner of the Causley International Poetry Competition was Judy O’Kane from Ireland who will be presented with her prize at a special ceremony at the House of Lords in June 2019.

The trust also have two paid writers in residence every year, in partnership with South West literature development agency, Literature Works. The writers spend three months living at Cyprus Well, former home of Charles Causley, and work with schools and community groups to engage people of all ages with writing.

The interns, Rose and Mitch, will be involved in a wide variety of work, in potentially all areas of the trust. This will include writing blogs and articles, interviewing individuals with an involvement/interest with the Causley Trust or Causley himself as well as providing administrative support.

Not only is this beneficial to the trust to gain some hands-on support from the students, it is also a valuable opportunity for the interns themselves to gain a wealth of experience in the arts industry and the world of work.

Mitch said: “Having the opportunity to work for and assist in the running of an actual literary trust is proving to be an invaluable and unique experience.”

The interns have been enrolled onto a ten-week internship programme, which started on March 4.