Words for the Wounded writing prize closes on 11 March. Why on earth do three grannies (two shown above) throw themselves out of a plane, strapped to a fit young man, hoping their parachutes open? Well, OK, the fit young man is a bit of a clue. But seriously, why? The reasons lie in the past and the present. In the past, both my grandfathers survived the first world war, so just as there were thankful villages who had lost no men, so too there were thankful families. But life isn’t that simple, is it? Gentle Percy, my mother’s father survived but took his own life in 1923. War has long, relentless tentacles which reach out and destroy families, just as surely as bullets do. Then, about four years ago I met a young  man and his wife. They were both under twenty five. She was pushing him in his wheelchair; his portable ventilator lay on his chest. He’d been shot through the neck in Helmand and is tetraplegic, (paralysed from the neck down). They were both smiling and cheerful but their hopes and dreams were very different now, and everyday life was a mountain in itself.   I decided that, as writers, my two granny friends and I could help not just the wounded, but also aspiring writers. We founded Words for the Wounded and were enormously lucky in our patrons, amongst whom are Julian Fellowes, Louis de Berniers, Katie Fforde, Paddy Ashdown and many others.   We decided also that we would earn our donations, not just appeal to the generosity of others; hence the skydive, and hence the Mud Challenge Obstacle Course in August, and hence the LitFest to be held at High Wycombe on 18^th April  2015 with Katie Fforde and two Midsomer Murders writers amongst others.   Our main thread, however, is our writing prizes. We have the short category for poetry/fiction/memoir – up to 400 words, with prize money of £400. Entry fee £4.50   This year we are launching The Independent Author Book Award for fiction or memoir, with a 1^st prize of a Palamedes PR professional press release. And a biography and review in Frost Magazine.  Entry fee £12.50 The WforW grannies absorb ALL the costs themselves, so every penny raised goes to the wounded. Our troops put their lives on the line for us, some are killed, many, many,  more sustain life-changing injuries. To help them is the aim of Words for the Wounded. They deserve the best.

For more information: www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk