Schoolchildren are being asked to follow in the footsteps of First World War soldiers by writing poems.

The Great War is often remembered through the famous poems of soldiers such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.

Epsom Council and the Royal British Legion are now asking children, aged between five and 16, from the borough to enter a war poetry competition.

The winners of the two age categories will each get one of the original tins issued by Princess Mary to soldiers serving at the front during the war. Other prizes are still to be confirmed.

The council said: "The subject ‘war’ could be about the general concept or a specific conflict.

"It could also be about life lost, the protection of freedoms or the bravery of troops - the subject matter is entirely up to the writer, as long as the poem relates to 'war'."

If winning poems are suitable for the occasion, they will be to read out at the borough’s Armistice Day Ceremony in Epsom marketplace on November 11.

Send your poem - plus your name, contact details, age and parental consent - to the town hall before October 21.

The address is: War Poem Mayor’s Office Epsom and Ewell Borough Council Town Hall, The Parade, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5BY

Dedicate a tree for £20 to someone lived or served in the First World War.

Call 0800 915 1914 or go to www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/mylocalpaper