GRAN Eileen Bridge is such a whizz at texting that she recently beat thousands of youngsters to come second in a national competition.
Eileen, 68, entered a contest to find the best text poet in the UK and said she was thrilled she had done so well.
The former teacher regularly writes poetry and uses text messaging services when she is out on her airboat with her husband, Joe, who inspired her poem entitled O Heart That Soars.
Eileen, of Moleside Close, Accrington, met Joe at a Blackburn line dancing club and the two were married nine years ago.
Both were widowed when they met.
Eileen said: "Joe lost his first wife and we both thought it would never happen again but here we are.
"It was amazing how we connected with each other."
Phone company T-Mobile set out to find out the UK's best love poem written in text language and received hundreds of entries from would-be poets.
The winner was Ben Ziman-Bright of London.
Eileen said a fair amount of effort went into her composition.
She added: "I wrote the poem out in longhand first and then put it into text message format. I didn't want to put it straight into text.
"I was on the computer at 12.45 at night and Joe asked me what I was doing. He didn't see the poem before I sent it."
During her years as a teacher in schools throughout Hyndburn, Eileen helped pupils struggling with dyslexia.
She said: "I always told them technology would make it easier for them to communicate.
"Texting can make it easy for them to connect with others.
"With texting people don't need to worry about spelling, which is something people with dyslexia often struggle with."
She bought her first mobile phone about five years ago.
Eileen said: "I don't use the phone like some teenagers do but it is good when we are out on the boat to stay in touch with people."
She won £350 for her poem and plans to spend her winnings on a new phone.
Eileen's poem:
O Heart That Soars
O hart tht sorz
My luv adorz
He mAks me liv
He mAks me giv
Myslf 2 him
As my luv porz
