A creative writing competition will propel one primary school pupil to the top job at Wildwood animal park for a day.

The new boss will get an exclusive look behind the scenes and work with the staff, attend meetings, make decisions, and get up close to some of the park’s 200 native animals – including bears, lynx, beavers, wolves, arctic foxes, red squirrels, and owls.

The contest is run by the KM Charity Team, which provides walk to school and literacy services for schools across the county.

To enter, pupils simply write about the sights, sounds, and smells of a journey to school – but this must involve green travel such as walking, cycling, or opting to ‘park and stride’. Entries should be handwritten on an activity sheet that can be downloaded for free at the KM Charity Team’s website.

The composer of the best piece of writing will scoop the ‘money can’t buy’ prize. Last year’s Wildwood winner was six year-old Freya Haynes from Archbishop Courtenay Primary School in Maidstone. She said: “I loved feeding all the animals - particularly Freya the otter!”

The Be The Boss writing competition runs throughout the year with a different topic and a different prize up for grabs each term. Previous winners have ruled Leeds Castle, directed Turner Contemporary art gallery, overseen Whitefriars shopping centre, and run popular radio station KMFM.

Sarah Clyne from the KM Charity Team said: “The competition encourages young people to really think about how they travel to school and have fun writing about it. Every year we are surprised and delighted by the standard of entries – their creativity, use of language, and handwriting skills.”

She added: “We are also pleased to be able to offer such a fantastic prize and would like to thank Wildwood for their support.”

The closing date is noon on Friday, March 15. To enter, or find out more, visit the KM Charity Team's website.

Organisations supporting the KM Charity Team’s green travel work include Whites Transport, Ashford International Hotel, Orbit, Volker Highways, Countrystyle Recycling, Golding Vision (part of Golding Homes), Specsavers, Eurostar, Kent County Council, Medway Council, London Borough of Bexley, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, Whitefriars, Maidstone Borough Council, Ashford Borough Council, London Array, and EduKit.