A poet who wrote to entertain isolated Melbourn care home residents during lockdown has won a national poetry competition and the opportunity to have her first poem published.

Royston Crow: Betty Murphy's winning poem and ear savers which she made for Melbourn Springs Care Home. Picture: Melbourn Springs Care HomeBetty Murphy's winning poem and ear savers which she made for Melbourn Springs Care Home. Picture: Melbourn Springs Care Home (Image: Archant)

Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Murphy entered the Poems in a Pandemic competition due to her friendship with Melbourn Springs Care Home, and beat 300 other entries to win in her category.

Betty has been a regular visitor to the home in Hyacinth Drive since it opened last year, and since lockdown has been supporting the residents remotely and making knitted ear savers (which prevent friction around the ears from wearing masks) for the staff.

She wrote her poem ‘Isolation Musings’ for the residents, and it was read to them by home services advisor Dan Amis, who put it forward for international recognition.

Dan said: “Betty is always so cheerful and a joy to speak to, and her poem had all of our residents and staff in stitches! I thought it was perfect to enter it into the Poems in a Pandemic competition and Betty agreed. We were delighted to learn that she had won.”

Poems in a Pandemic was a national poetry and art competition for frontline social care support staff, leaders, nurses and friends from the community to capture their experiences.

Betty’s poem is going to be published in a book, supported by Care Talk, with all proceeds going towards supporting the mental health of care workers through art projects. The book will feature the top 100 poems submitted.

She said: “My poems come to me at any time – even as I am eating breakfast! I cannot sit down and start to write one but once I start they just flow from the pen.

“I am so thankful to Dan for entering my poem for me and I am really looking forward to being interviewed before the book is published.”

In the competition’s live final, Betty read ‘Isolation Musings’ aloud on Zoom – venturing into the virtual world for the first time.

To donate to help fund the publishing of the book, go to: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/poems-in-a-pandemic-mask-your-face-not-your-feeling

For more information about Melbourn Springs Care Home go to www.barchester.com/home/melbourn-springs-care-home or call 01763 261974.