Town all set for 10 days of poetry

This year's Ledbury Poetry Festival - the fifth annual event in the town - has attracted contributions from household names including Clive James, actress Janet Suzman, and Evesham's own man-of-a-thousand voices Alistair McGowan.

The Festival's poet-in-residence for 2001 is Ruth Padel, one of Britain's foremost poets who is due to lead a series of workshops throughout the week to help budding wordsmiths.

Padel is widely known from her regular analysis of poetry in the Independent on Sunday, and her own collection, Rembrandt Would Have Loved You, has been widely praised.

Festival chairman Alan Lloyd is reassuring people concerned about the foot-and-mouth crisis the market town is open for business as usual.

He has also highlighted the Poetry Festival's Young Writers' Bursary.

"It's a mentoring scheme enabling writers aged 18 to 25 to receive guidance from the poet-in-residence and others," he said.

"The Festival now runs year-round both its Life Lines project for older people, and the programme of creative writing workshops for young people in local schools.

"In addition we've launched a series of Poetic Weekends looking at poets association with the area and hold monthly discussion groups which examine the work of contemporary poets."

McGowan will show he is not just a star impersonator but also a pretty mean poet when he performs his work at Ledbury's Community Centre on Saturday, June 30.

Other top names include Matthew Sweeney, who is one of Britain's best-loved and most respected poets, writer Blake Morrison, who will read his own poetry and discuss that of William Blake, Australian John Kinsella, and a "keynote" reading from Paul Muldoon.

Meanwhile the work and life of Laurie Lee, John Betjeman, and the Dymock Poets will be remembered during the week-and-a-half festival.

Tickets for the 10 days' events cost between £3-£25 and some are free. Further details on the booking hotline, 0845 458 1743 or on www.poetry-festival.com