Poetry in Mind

Our Poetry in Mind campaign encouraged local residents to explore their creative selves as a way of improving their health and wellbeing. We accepted poems between May and August on the following themes: social isolation and loneliness, finding refuge, exploring anxious feelings, and mental health and wellbeing.

We also held creative writing workshops for residents attending Recovery in Mind and Eight Bells for Mental Health. During these workshops they were able to explore feelings around mental health and wellbeing in a creative way and produce some illustrated poems.

Overall, we had a great response to this campaign, with over 100 poems submitted. You can find selections of these displayed at the following venues until the end of October:

• Shaw House, Church Road, Shaw, Newbury, RG14 2DR
• West Berkshire Museum, The Wharf, Newbury, RG14 5AS
• Burghfield Common Library, School Lane, Burghfield Common, RG7 3JZ
• Hungerford Library, Church Street, Hungerford, RG17 0JG
• Lambourn Library, High Street, Lambourn, RG17 8XL
• Mortimer Library, 27 Victoria Road, Mortimer Common, RG7 3SH
• Newbury Library, The Wharf, Newbury, RG14 5AU
• Pangbourne Library, Reading Road, Pangbourne, RG8 7LY
• Thatcham Library, Bath Road, Thatcham, RG18 3AG
• Theale Library, Church Street, Theale, RG7 5BZ
• Northcroft Leisure Centre, Northcroft Lane, Newbury, RG14 1RS

We are encouraging all our residents to visit these venues to read the displayed poems in conjunction with National Poetry Day. This is an annual event which takes place on 5 October each year. The aim is to encourage everyone to make, experience and share poetry with friends and family. The theme for this year's National Poetry Day on Thursday 5 October is 'Refuge'.