A group of students who have recently come to live in the UK have written love letters to Suffolk as part of a college writing competition.
The learners are all currently studying on English courses at Suffolk New College.
They were tasked with explaining why they love living in this county as part of the 2023 Suffolk Day celebrations.
Over 50 people took part and two people were crowned as winners in beginners and intermediary categories.
16 year old Laidy Rodrigues Da Cruz from Ipswich won the beginners contest. On winning she said: “I love the College and the country because of the people. Winning this will inspire me to write more in the future.” (Bilal was the runner up).
Kristina Karpenko, 18, from Felixstowe won the intermediary class. Kristina said: “I will be celebrating Suffolk Day by going to the beach. I was happy to win.”
In terms of her entry, Kristina – who is originally from Ukraine – said: “I love Suffolk because it’s got great nature, beautiful fields, farms, rivers and lots of highlights. When you’re here, you feel free. These feelings remind me of my childhood in Ukraine, when you go to the village to grandma for the whole summer.” (Batkitar Serhat and Bohdan Sychov were the runners up).
Organiser of the competition was head of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Suzy Haynes. Suzy said: “Some of the entries were heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure. They were a fitting tribute to Suffolk Day and I’m incredibly proud of all of the students who got involved in this. It’s heartening to hear so many positive things about the county and the college.”
All winners received shop local vouchers supplied by Nice PR Ltd.
Below is Kristina’s winning letter:
Suffolk Day
My name is Kristina. I’m from Ukraine. I was born in the port city of Mariupol so I always compare cities to my hometown. I live in the wonderful town of Felixstowe and, like my home Mariupol, it also has a port, so I really like it. In Felixstowe there are excellent parks and a promenade where you can hear the sound of seagulls and try the traditional British meal of fish and chips.
I love Suffolk because it’s got great nature, beautiful fields, farms, rivers and lots of highlights. When you’re here, you feel free, so you want to be here. These feelings remind me of my childhood in Ukraine, when you go to the village to grandma for the whole summer.
Like I said, I love nature and that’s what I like most about Suffolk. Also I like the people who live there. They are kind and polite and always happy to help.
I also go to a wonderful college where I have very friendly and positive teachers and very good classmates.
I also have great memories from last year, because we were at the Suffolk Show, where I saw a lot of different animals, tasted delicious food and watched a great show.
The coronation of The King took place on Saturday 6 May, 2023 at Westminster Abbey. It was a historic moment for the whole country and I was happy to have watched it.