Ally Sherrick, the award-winning Farnham-based author of children’s historical adventures, hosted a launch event at Farnham Waterstones on the evening of March 27 to celebrate the launch of her latest book 'Rebel Heart'. During the event, Ally presented prizes to some pupils from William Cobbett School in Farnham for their entries into a special creative writing competition she organised with a member of staff there challenging them to write a story set at Farnham Castle during an English Civil War siege. English Civil War re-enactors from Alton's Lord Hoptons Regiment also attended in full regalia.
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00:00And I do just want to give you a little bit of a scene setter, because the English Civil
00:10Wars are quite a complicated period. I'm not going to give you a history lesson, don't
00:16worry. But I did them for A-level and I didn't really enjoy them, I have to say. But it is
00:23a really exciting and dangerous time in our history, which these guys will all too well
00:29attest to as they blast each other to Kingdom Come every weekend. Not you, Sam, probably,
00:36but anyway.
00:37If we can just get to Hazel, she wriggled alongside, that's Meriwether, joining him
00:48in the search for a gap in the wall of red-coated soldiers. But the men stood shoulder to shoulder
00:53wherever they looked. Even if they managed to break through, the guards would surely
00:57shoot them or the pony down. As she and Ned exchanged frowns, the distant blast of a
01:03trumpet rang out, followed by a series of great thudding booms. Ned's face paled.
01:09Cannon fire. It started. For a brief instant there was silence. Then a ripple of new sounds
01:15reached them on the breeze. Men's shouts and cries mixed with the frantic whinnying of
01:20horses and volleys of musket fire. Meriwether recoiled at the sudden vision of her father
01:25galloping towards the enemy line of fire. She couldn't lie huddled here like a coward
01:29while he was risking his life a few fields away in battle. Offering up a silent prayer,
01:34she took a deep breath in and crawled forwards. Ned gripped her arm. Wait, where are you going?
01:40To find my father. What? I made a promise and I'm going to keep it. He hesitated, then
01:47dropped his hand and nodded.