Poetry festival boasts 'legends of spoken word'

Matt Panesh says he wants to help bring about a "cultural renewal" to Morecambe

A seaside town's poetry festival will be "wall to wall" with some of the best poets in the country and homegrown emerging talent, the organiser has said.

The three-day Morecambe Poetry Festival opens later with Mike Harding, Pam Ayres and Lemn Sissay in the line-up, as well as Sunday Times bestselling poet Donna Ashworth and comedian Alistair McGowan.

It is being held over two venues; the Winter Gardens and the King's Arms.

The event is part of artistic director Matt Panesh's plan to bring about a "cultural renewal" in Morecambe.

Henry Normal (left), pictured here with Lemn Sissay, describes the event as the "biggest and best new poetry festival in the country"

He said it will be a "lot of fun" with performances from some of the legends of the spoken word along with Morecambe's finest poetry competition winners.

The doors open at the main venue, the Winter Gardens, at 17:00 BST with a recording of BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends featuring Henry Normal, Donna Ashworth and Mike Harding along with chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen from Michelin-starred Northcote, with music from the Lancaster based musical duo The Lovely Eggs.

Writer and TV producer Normal will then be performing, as will Harding.

It is his third appearance at the festival which he describes as "the biggest and best new poetry festival in the country, possibly the world, maybe even the universe".

Mr Panesh, 52, moved from Manchester to Morecambe, where he spent his childhood holidays, in 2016 when his career as a performer ended.

He said he was shocked that the Victorian resort, which was once buzzing with theatres and music halls and "built for entertainment" had ended up with such a lack of theatres.

He set about helping the town's "cultural renewal", he said, by utilising his contacts from when he worked promoting Edinburgh Festival's free fringe to launch the Morecambe Fringe, as well as the poetry festival and the TV and Film Festival which is held in November.

He said he loved putting his energy into promoting culture in the community and had plans to hold a comedy festival in the town in March.

He would also be running a "completely inclusive" community theatre group West End Players at West End Play House on Yorkshire Street, he added.

Pam Ayres is headlining on the main stage on Sunday

'Important voice'

On Saturday, the headline show is from best-selling poet Donna Ashworth paired with McGowan who released his book of poetry, Not What We Were Expecting, alongside open mic events and performances from the festival’s competition winners; Christine Michael who won the national competition and local winner Trystan Lewis.

BBC Radio 3’s The Verb presented by Ian McMillan will also be recording its show from the Winter Gardens.

"National treasure" Pam Ayres is headlining Sunday's line-up at the Winter Gardens followed by the "nation’s favourite" Lemn Sissay who returns to the festival with his new best selling collection and support from Speaking Volumes, Mr Panesh said.

An emotional tribute to festival favourite poet, Jackie Hagan, who died earlier this year, will close the show.

Mr Panesh and some of Hagan's other poet friends from Manchester will take to the stage in her honour.

He said she was "incredible" and when she died "the world was robbed of an important voice".