Rutland Hall Hotel ran a short story competition in honour of the discovery of the Rutland 'Sea Dragon', found in Rutland Water in 2021.

See the details of that short story competition here.

The Hall have now announced the winners of this prehistoric short story competition centralising around the recently discovered ichthyosaur.

To pay homage to the discovery of the 180-million-year-old ichthyosaur, Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa launched a competition encouraging the public to pen a compelling 'Beast of Rutland' short story that links with the mysterious sea-dwelling monster.

Open to all ages, the hotel welcomed a creative and fictional interpretation of the discovery, with the entries received spanning from imaginative poetry to fantastical twists on the origins of the ichthyosaur.

After much deliberation, the team are delighted to announce that the first-place winner is Catherine Haycock (29), who has won dinner in the hotel's new Blossoms restaurant alongside an overnight stay in one of the recently refurbished rooms.

Catherine's thought-provoking piece resonated with the judges as it depicted the sea creature in a sympathetic light. One extract reads "What I had seen in the dragon's eyes had not been a desire to devour, but a need to protect. And as my mind slowly fogged over, I marvelled at the vastness of secrets the sea-dragon must keep."

Second place was awarded to Phoebe Dineen (7) who has won a bed and breakfast stay for her creative story featuring a magical dolphin, and third place to Neil Henson (46), a Stamford local who submitted a comedic poem about the adventures of the ichthyosaur to win a meal at Blossoms restaurant.

Due to the high standard of entries, Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa has kindly gifted all participants a £10 voucher, with an additional £10 book voucher for the children who entered.

Discussing the success of the short story competition, John Higham, General Manager of Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa, said: "We were delighted to receive so many entries from individuals of all ages – the standard of writing was very, very high."

John continued: "Although it was a tough choice, we are delighted with our three selected winners – a huge congratulations to Catherine, Phoebe and Neil. Catherine's entry was very impressive, and we hope she enjoys her first-place prize of a meal and overnight stay."

For more information on Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa, please visit their website.

Congratulations to all involved, with a special mention to the wonderful winners!