Listen as Stephen Fry reads Shropshire based poet's award winning poem
Luke Western, a Shropshire based artist and poet, has won the Stories for Survival poetry competition, organised by the conservation charity Explorers Against Extinction.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
His poem, which highlights the fragility of nature, earned acclaim for its creative and poignant message about environmental change.
Written during the Global Birdfair, Luke’s poem, Survivors' Guilt, uses a clever linguistic twist—changing single letters in words like “love” to “loved” and “shine” to “shone”—to demonstrate how easily the things we cherish can fade into the past. The poem gained significant recognition when Stephen Fry, renowned actor and conservation advocate, offered to read it aloud.
“Writing this poem was my way of illustrating how quickly things can change if we don’t take care of our planet,” says Luke. “Winning the competition and having Stephen Fry read it was a dream come true, but my real mission is to share this message with as many people as possible.”
The Stories for Survival competition is organised by Explorers Against Extinction, a charity that not only raises awareness about environmental threats but also funds front-line conservation efforts worldwide. Luke hopes his poem will inspire more people to take action in protecting endangered species and wild spaces.
About Stories for Survival and Explorers Against Extinction:
Stories for Survival is a creative initiative run by Explorers Against Extinction. The charity raises awareness of threats to wildlife and wild spaces while funding crucial front-line conservation projects across the globe. To date, they’ve supported initiatives such as anti-poaching patrols, habitat restoration, and wildlife rescue operations.
