Community Projects

Even before making my debut as a writer/performer, I was interested in the ways poetry and creative writing could empower individuals and bring groups and communities together. The first creative writing group I ran was at a day centre for young disabled adults and I now have over 25 years of experience in facilitating groups and projects with people of all ages in a variety of community contexts. I’ve co-ordinated a year-long oral history project on a housing estate, run an inter-generational pen-pal scheme between children and older people and worked in a multitude of spaces including libraries, day centres, residential homes, museums, moored ships, steam trains, shopping malls and street corners. Here are a few of my more recent workshops and residences...

Whatever the Weather

Funded by Arts Partnership Surrey, this was a ten week poetry pen-pal scheme between Year 2 students at Walsh Memorial School, Shorefield Day Centre users and residents of Japonica Court, a sheltered housing complex. I facilitated the sessions and acted as poetry postman delivering each group’s weekly letters to the different groups. The sessions finished with a celebratory performance by the young writers and their older compatriots.

Young says I’m as strong as a lion
Old says I’m as weak as a teddy bear
Young says I can climb the stairs quickly
Old says I climb the stairs like an Octopus
Young says I’ve read 50 books
Old says I’ve read a thousand
Young says, I never wash my hands
Old says, I always wash mine
Young says I wish I could ride a bike
Old says, I can. Ouch! I’ve pulled a muscle! 

Poetry Is A Horse

at Palace House, The National Horse Racing Museum with All Saints Primary School

Poetry is a horse we all can ride
Poetry is a horse with a rhythmical stride
Poetry is a horse with drumming hooves
Poetry is a horse with funky grooves
Poetry is a horse
A horse that moves us.
With Year 6 Pupils at All Saints School. 

I worked with Palace House and teachers and pupils from Years 2, 4 and 6 at All Saints School on a literacy project which creatively explored links between poetry and horse racing using the visual, textual and oral stimulus provided by the museum. The climax to the project was a fantastic Poetry Promenade Performance at Palace House. I wrote an educational resource which has details of some of the games and poetry writing exercises and stimulus we used. You can find it here

Southend - Our Friend

Southend, we salute you
You’re a seaside rose garden
From the loooooongest pier in the world
To our adventure island

I spent an ejoyable few days this summer with a group of great young people from Turning Tides. Together with the staff from The Forum library and the talented filmmakers Signals we created and recorded a film poem all about where we live, Southend.

 To see the full film visit Vimeo

Where Seeds Are Planted:

A Writing Project with Creative Response

Inspired by the Space2Grow Community Garden

In the summer of 2021, after the third lockdown, I worked with a talented group of adult writers from the Creative Response Writing Group, producing work inspired by the healing properties of the Space2Grow Community Garden in Farnham. Funded by the estate of an inspirational local woman Phyllis Evelyn McDonald, the project resulted in a wonderful collection of poetry and illustration - “Where Seeds Are Planted - Poems Grow”.