On my last visit to Bradgate Park, in December, the place was covered with sheet ice and the car parks were closed. This was a shame, because I’d taken one of my creative writing students from Loughborough University for her first visit. But one of the attractions of Bradgate is how the weather and seasonsRead more
This morning was the first workshop of the residency. The day was cold and clear, and we were able to observe Bradgate Park in its Winter glory. The workshop was over-subscribed, which was great to see. We weren’t sure if anybody would want to write poetry on a cold Wednesday in December, but with 15Read more
Sue Mackrell is a poet, workshop leader and creative project organiser, based in Leicestershire. She has researched and written extensively about a range of aspects of Leicestershire history and heritage, and has worked with all sort of groups from the County. So I was delighted when she sent me this poem about Bradgate Park. IRead more
Last week, I took students on Loughborough University’s MA in Creative Writing to Bradgate Park. For some of them, it is a place that they’ve been familiar with from childhood. For others, including our Erasmus students from Slovenia, it was a totally new. I asked the group to write about the natural life and theRead more
Of course, being a poet in residence means writing some poetry myself, as well as helping other people to write. And I have not been idle. I hope that you recognise yourself, or someone you know, in this poem… Sunday Afternoon at Bradgate Park There’s a lazy sun on the surface of theRead more
For the next twelve months, I’ll be poet in residence at Bradgate Park, in Leicestershire. I have to admit that I’m delighted with the idea: it’s a fantastic place to visit, with fascinating landscapes, heritage, natural history, geology… As part of the ‘Bradgate Inspires’ project, I’ll be running workshops for members of the public toRead more