A COLLECTION of celebrity poems compiled by Bromley pupils includes one selected by Jeffrey Archer a week before he was imprisoned for perjury.

The 14 year olds at Malory Secondary School, in Launcelot Road, asked celebrities to contribute poems for their anthology which they are selling for BBC's Children in Need. Among those who responded was Jeffrey Archer, who was found guilty of perjury a week later in July. He sent the children Rudyard Kipling's poem The Thousandth Man.

The poem is based on Solomon's words that while 999 people will turn away, one man in a thousand will remain true, regardless of any wrongs.

Drama teacher David Williams said: "Despite all his faults as a human being, Archer took the trouble to write back to the class with a poem."

The collection includes a poem selected by Griff Rhys Jones, poems written by Shaun Hughes and Maureen Lipman and two verses penned by Des O'Conner. The anthology, of which only 75 were produced, went on sale for £2 on Friday.

November 20, 2001 14:33