One Voice Summer Festival 2026 - Lyric Writing Competition!

One Voice Summer Festival 2026 - Big Brave Bill Verse Writing Competition

Open to any Y2 - Y5 pupils who aren’t already signed up to One Voice Summer 2026!

Big Brave Bill was written by the folk singer/songwriter legend, who’s also a local lass, Kate Rusby. The song tells the story of Bill, who saves the day in so many ways. You can see the video about him here. The song started as a bedtime story for Kate’s children. And Kate would make up new verses to entertain them. There’s also a Christmas version of the song. Take a look here.

As each verse is a little story in it’s own right, it’s the perfect song for you to try writing your own lyrics.

Task

Write a new verse for the song. You could do this as a whole class activity or invite the children to have a go on their own. Your verse can be about anything! You might want Bill to save your school, or maybe the class/choir mascot is in danger and needs rescuing, or the ice cream van outside your school is in trouble… Be as inventive and daring as you want!

Verse 1

• Young Jamie Clarke was in Cannon Hall Park,
• Messing about with a laugh and a lark,
• When all down the valley the rain forced the flood,
• Young Jamie was a gonner neck deep in the mud.
• But here’s Bill, Bill with a rescuing plan,
• And it’s Bill, Bill and he saved the young man.

There are six lines. And the end of each pair of lines rhymes, for example in the first verse, the rhyming pairs are:

• park & lark
• flood & mud
• plan & man

Each line has the following number of syllables:

• Line 1: 10
• Line 2: 10
• Line 3: 11 (13 in verse 3)
• Line 4: 12 (10 in verse 3)
• Line 5: But here’s Bill
• Bill 6 Line 6: 3, 7

The fifth line has to start with “But here’s Bill, Bill…” and then finish with 6 syllables.

It is possible to have slightly more or slightly fewer syllables per line. For example there are slight differences in V3. Just make sure that it is close to the original number, and that you can fit it in to the music.

Your verse will be judged on three things:

• Story - can you fit your whole story into one verse? Does it make sense?
• Rhyming Pairs - have you matched the last word of each pair of lines to rhyme with each other?
• Syllables - have you used an appropriate number of syllables for each line? Is it easy to sing the lines without getting your tongue in a twist? There is some flexibility, for example 11 syllables would work in the first line if you needed to add an extra one. But make sure it’s not a long way out

Prize (for Year 2 - Year 5 pupils who aren’t already taking part in One Voice 2026)

The winning entry will receive up to four free tickets to see One Voice on Tuesday 7 July at 1.30 at the Octagon Centre (1 for you, 1 for a friend in your class and up to 2 for your parents/guardians).

You will also receive a free place for your whole class for a future One Voice event (either Christmas ‘26 or Summer ‘27)

NB this competition is also open to children whose school is already coming to One Voice but the prize is different depending on if you are already signed up for One Voice or not.

To Enter

Get your parent/guardian to send your entry to Kate at kate.shipway@sheffield.gov.uk by the end of Monday 22nd June. Please include your name, year group and which school you attend.

Please send in the lyrics for your new verse typed out. You can also, if you wish, send in an audio or video file of the verse, either spoken or sung.

Good luck!