Having been exposed to the full horror of Malvern's train service, it is no surprise that Daisy Goodwin arrived on stage somewhat flustered.

For her first visit to the town, she chose a depressingly wet Saturday morning but what followed was something to cheer the heart for her audience.

This was a gem of an event for the Autumn in Malvern Festival. Once Ms Goodwin's nerves left her, she spoke with passion and humour about the impact of the belated discovery of poetry on her life.

She delivered an always engaging selection of work from the likes of Robert Browning, W B Yeats, W H Auden, Cecil Day Lewis and, of course, John Masefield.

Her approach was delightful, rooted in the things that make real life - love, children, work, loss - underlining the fact that the best poetry can be enjoyed with a nod of recognition by anyone.

As an illustration, she spoke of the horror of being asked to give a talk on poetry to a roomful of teenage girls at her daughter's school.

She got round it by introducing Margaret Attwood's Siren Song as everything the girls needed to know about how to attract boys. Her audience at Malvern were laughing before she even started to read this very enjoyable poem.

An hour flew by far too quickly, Ms Goodwin will hopefully be encouraged to venture on the train service here again.

David Edwards