A Manx playwright has won the prestigious Derek Jacobi Award for her debut play ‘Shelter’.

Jenny Derbyshire wrote and acts in the two-person play alongside Simon Fletcher, with the show recently winning the island’s ‘Easter Festival of Plays’ back in April.

‘Shelter’ is set in the Manchester Blitz in an Anderson shelter and includes the characters Will, a man who made it back from the horrors of Passchendaele, and Mary, his wife.

Will and Mary are not communicating properly since their son, Charlie, went to fight in the Second World War.

It becomes slowly apparent as to why there is such fractured conversation between them; Will is dedicated to sparing Charlie from the horrors of fighting, but Mary is aware that Charlie wants to fight - and she has reason to want him to go.

As well as winning the Easter Festival of Plays, it was nominated for seven awards including Best Actor (which it won for Simon Fletcher), Best Actress, Best Director, Most Dramatic Moment, Best Costume and Make-Up and Outstanding Contribution (for Jenny Derbyshire).

Talking about what gave her the idea for the play, Jenny said: ‘I started writing Shelter fairly soon after I had discovered that my great-grandfather had fought in the First World War and had made it home.

‘I started wondering how one would begin to process having seen such horrors in the first war, believing it to be “The Great War” and “The War to End All Wars”, and then years down the line, seeing your children being sent to a second war.

‘I couldn’t get my head around it and I wanted to delve into those feelings further.’

Robert Meadows, an adjudicator during the Easter Festival of Plays, thought highly enough of the play for him to recommend that it be submitted for the Derek Jacobi Playwrighting Award.

This award is presented by the National Drama Festivals Association (NDFA), and is given to a different play from around the UK each year.

‘I looked at my phone and saw that I had a voicemail message from a UK number and assumed it was somebody trying to sell me something,’ Jenny added.

‘It turned out to be a message saying I had won first place, and I had to walk around the house for a few minutes to come out of my stupor.

‘I could not believe it and I’m thrilled by their decision. Me? Becoming a published playwright? Madness!’

As a result of winning this year’s award, Jenny will receive £250 from publishers Stagescripts, a Stagescripts publishing deal, an engraved trophy, two Full Festival Tickets for the National Drama Festival and a bottle of champagne from the NDFA.

Asked what the money will go towards, Jenny said: ‘It will most likely be put towards our trip to the Artrix Theatre in Bromsgrove at the beginning of August where we will perform Shelter in the studio section of the theatre on August 3.

‘We will then also be performing Shelter at a concert in November at Ballakermeen in the build up to Remembrance Day - watch this space for more details.’