National Poetry Day 2018: with John Hegley

On Friday 5 October the Martin Harris Centre celebrated National Poetry Day with acclaimed performance poet John Hegley and pianist Clare Elstow.

John Hegley delivered two engaging and interactive performances, sharing his witty and offbeat poems with over 500 schoolchildren from across the Greater Manchester. The theme of this year’s event was ‘change’.

John invited schoolchildren from 7 different schools to build their own poems, sing, mime and be playful with words, all part of a celebration of ‘modern word wildness’, set to piano music performed by Clare Elstow.

A class teacher from Mather Street Primary School, Oldham commented ‘Overall we were very impressed with the event and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves.’