Disability Special 2025 (WORD)

On the 27 November I attended a Word poetry event at Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road in Leicester.

There was a facilitated workshop run by Juliette Burton, a fantastic comedian and poet. This was the second time I'd seen her, the workshop included a range of different tasks.

I really liked writing about the everyday details of my life, related to Greggs, cafes and people-watching. I was very surprised to see how many people found such basic everyday things interesting.

The evening event took place - again the headline, Julienne was amazing. 

When it came to sharing my own work, I was scared. Lucky Lydia was on stage with me, as I performed my poem, Eight Legs. 

Thanks to all who performed. All of the poetry was amazing to experience and get inspiration from. 

A lot of planning and organising goes into these Word events. A personal thank you from me to everyone.

Black History Phillip Naton

 On the 30 October 2025, Word Poetry and Renaissance One staged an event for Black History Month at Attenborough Art Centre in Leicester.

The workshop was 4 til 6pm and was led by Phillip Nanton all the way from Barbados. He gave us useful tips and ideas for improving our poetry, moving from group to individual writing and using the limerick form to inspire work.

The evening part included a range of poets and performers sharing material grounded in cultural heritage and journeys.

 

Finally - we got the opportunity and honour to share in a performance by John Agard. I found it very inspiring and moving.

Word Disability Special

 I attended a Disability special Word Poetry event at Attenborough Art Centre on Lancaster Road in Leicester.

 

There was a free workshop from 4pm till 6pm. It was led by the talented Teagan Buckley. The were set tasks to help people think about their various disabilities and the many challenges that we face in daily life. I felt my heart in my mouth as I could relate to many of the problems and challenges.

 

The evening was filled with laughter and fantastic poetry talent. I performed 2 pieces with the amazing Lydiay it went great.

Word Black History Month Melanie Abrahams FRSA and Valda

 On Saturday 12 October 2024, at the Attenborough Art Centre in Leicester, I attended 'Caribbean Woman' - an event presented by WORD!, Renaissance One and BrightSparks Arts, as part of Black History Month. The event was inspired by the iconic poem, 'Caribbean Woman' - written and regularly performed by WORD!s late Patron, Jean Binta Breeze MBE. The event was designed to celebrate both Jean's legacy, and the contributions made by other trailblazing Caribbean women to UK culture.

The afternoon began with a free workshop led by Melanie Abrahams FRSA and Valda  Jackson MBE - who led a conversation around Windrush and other post World War 2 transports from the Caribbean, at the invitation of the UK - and the arising struggles faced by many migrating Caribbean people in this context.

Later, following some social time (supported by complementary refreshments!) I attended a final show. I really enjoyed Tobago Crusoe's music performance, I think it brought the community together and alive. An added pleasure was listening to Mellow Baku's set. The whole experience was amazing - it was thrilling to see so many people and performances.

A massive thank you to everyone involved.

Word Poetry Sini Seneviratne

 A Night of Words and Connection: Poetry Event at Attenborough Art Centre

Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of attending a captivating Word poetry event at the Attenborough Art Centre in Leicester on the 22nd of June, 2024.

This special event was organised to celebrate the summer and was a collaborative effort by Renaissance One, Word, and Bright Sparks. One of the highlights was a free networking session that offered an opportunity to discuss mental health, fostering a sense of community and support among the attendees.

The evening featured the talented spoken word poet Sini Seneviratne. Her performance, which included a poignant piece titled "Unknown Soldier," was both fascinating and deeply moving, leaving a lasting impression on everyone present.

In addition to the engaging performances, the event also provided delicious food, adding to the overall enjoyable and enriching experience.

Attending this event was a wonderful way to connect with others and celebrate the power of words and poetry. I'm already looking forward to the next gathering!

International Day of People with Disabilities

 I attended a WORD! poetry event on the 30 November 2023 at Attenborough Art Centre to celebrate International Day of People with  Disabilities.

In the afternoon there was a free workshop organised and led by Teagan Buckley and Lydia Towsey. It touched my heart strings - as a disabled man I could relate to many of the problems described by participants and faced by disabled people on a daily basis.

In the evening I really enjoyed myself with fellow poets and friends because I got the opportunity to share and perform my poems. Finally I would like to thank everyone for organising and Lydia for the ongoing support and engagement.

Word Slam event

 I attended WORD!'s WORD!Slam event at Attenborough Arts Centre in Leicester on Thursday 16 November 2023. This year, this was delivered as part of a brilliant collaboration with the locally based, Some-Antics.

The event included a free afternoon workshop from 4.30pm till 6pm on performance skills. This was led by experienced poets, Rob Gee and Lydia Towsey. I found it very enjoyable and useful because it gave me small but effective techniques to perform on stage. I also valued this time there  because it improved my confidence and my ability to have a can do attitude.

The evening included a poetry slam filled with many talented poets. There was a headline act, Laura Dickson, I caught the start - one word: fantastic

Word Black History Month 2023

 To celebrate Black History Month, I attended a special word poetry event at Attenborough Art Centre on Thursday 26 October 2023. The event was headlined by the great poet, John Agard and supported by locally based poets, Kamisha and Michael Brome, as well as a specially curated small group of further writers/performers. 

I really enjoyed learning and listening about Blacky History Month, as I have read and watched many documentaries over the years.

John delivered a lecture based workshop in advance - the described as a 'Journey with John' - which I found really interesting and inspiring.

 

During the final segment of the evening, several performers, including John, shared poetic tributes to Jean Binta Breeze - the Patron of WORD! and another great, female poet, who passed away a couple of years ago. It was sad to hear about her passing but great to remember and honour such an important person.

Overall I was I had a great time listening to a range of poetry talent, thank you to everyone involved.

Jason Allen-Paisant, with Cathi Rae

 I attended a WORD! event at Attenborough Arts Centre in Leicester on Thursday, 29 June 2023. 

 

The event was headlined by Jason Allen-Paisant, with Cathi Rae as the support act for the night.

Prior to the main open mic based evening event, Jason led a free workshop in the afternoon from 4.30pm until 6.30pm.

 

I found I could very much relate to Jason poetry and found myself touched and inspired by Cathi’s poems.

 

The comperes, Abi Willock and Noe Ponte shared that they were once again presenting the event as new comperes - I thought both of them were excellent.

 

I found the whole experience touching, moving, uplifting and inspiring – from the workshop to show, and am looking forward to my next.

 

I was very sad because this was the last word event until September 2023 – but am very much looking forward to then! 

 

WORD! will return to Attenborough Arts on September 28^th, headlined by the award winning Robert Hamberger. For more information see www.wordpoetry.co.uk

Accessible Sports Facilities

 I found out by a friend about Accessible sports facilities Level Playing Field. I play multiple sports with my sports group on Thursday evenings

Level Playing Field Venues