AN ANDOVER writer is ‘over the moon’ after tasting success in a monologue competition.

Cat Randle, of Appleshaw, was chosen as one of the six best monologues in a competition run by the Test Valley Arts Foundation.

The competition was judged by Penny Gold, who has worked as assistant director at The Royal Shakespeare Company, Head of Radio 4 drama and literary manager at The Nuffield Theatre

Reflecting on the win, Cat said: “I run a learning difficulty drama group for Andover and District Mencap. I’ve been writing scripts for them for ten years. Now they can say they have an award-winning writer.”

Cat’s monologue is about a man who returns from New Zealand after being transported for taking part in the Swing riots, an uprising by agricultural workers in the south of England in 1830.

“It is a piece of Hampshire history I have been fascinated with for a long time,” she added.

“I’ve lived in New Zealand so I can see the attraction. What made him come back to Hampshire? I often say Hampshire is as close as I can get to New Zealand without leaving England.”

Cat has already planning her next project – a positive climate change show called ‘The Non-Extinction Party.’

She continued: “Covid-19’s lockdown has shown us that we can change the way we do things. I feel, as a nation, we need empowering to back good choices. I agree with the hashtag #anotherworldispossible. Doom, gloom and oil spills are all very well, but we can have fun as we help the planet.

“So I’m creating a show where we have an eco-friendly party where we can all find our way to dance our way out of the climate change disaster. Obviously, protecting ourselves from Covid-19 takes precedence, but this is an opportunity for us to look at new normal we want to return to.”