EVENTS

2 0 2 4
March
4th   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop to Reception, KS1 & KS2 pupils – The Bliss Charity School, Northamptonshire.
5th   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘Titanic’ workshop to KS2 pupils – Marlpool Junior School, Derbyshire.
6th   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop for Nursery & Reception, my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop for Year 1 & 2 pupils, my ‘Titanic’ workshop for Year 3 & 4 pupils, and my ‘The Abandoned House’ workshop for Year 5 & 6 pupils – Our Lady’s Catholic Academy, Stoke-on-Trent.
7th   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop for Nursery, Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 pupils, my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop for Year 3 & 4 pupils and my ‘The Abandoned House’ workshop for Year 5 & 6 pupils – Burnt Tree Primary School, Oldbury, West Midlands.
8th   Virtual School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop to Reception, KS1 & KS2 pupils – Manor Road Primary School, Lancashire.
21st   Online Poetry Workshop for World Poetry Day delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop to Nursery, Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 pupils – Various schools (9.30 am – 10.30 am).
21st   Online Poetry Workshop for World Poetry Day delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop to Year 2 to Year 6 pupils – Various schools (11.00 am – 12.00 pm).
21st   Virtual School Visit for World Poetry Day delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop to Year 7 pupils – Unsworth Academy, Bury, Lancashire.
     
May    
14th   Author Visit for a Teddy Bears Picnic event (during Dementia Week) delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop to visiting children from a local nursery and my ‘Conflict’ poetry workshop to the residents – The Chase Care Home, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
20th   Virtual School Visit for a Pizza & Poetry event delivering my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop to Year 4 to Year 6 pupils – Furley Park Primary Academy, Ashford, Kent.
     
June
5th & 6th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop for Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 pupils, my ‘The Abandoned House’ workshop for Year 3 & 4 pupils and my ‘I Want to be an Engineer’ workshop for Year 5 & 6 pupils – Hanley St Luke’s C of E Academy, Stoke-on-Trent.
26th   School Visit delivering my ‘Lest We Forget’ workshop performing war poems to Year 5 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
27th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems to Year 1 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
July
1st   School Visit delivering my ‘Conflict’ workshop to Year 9 pupils – West Craven High School, Barnoldswick, Lancashire.
9th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems to Reception pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
September    
30th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop for Pre-School & Reception, my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop for Year 1 & Year 2 pupils, my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop for Year 3 & 4 pupils and my ‘Damaged Earth’ workshop for Year 5 & 6 pupils – Cherry Orchard Primary School, Worcester.
     
October    
15th   Virtual School Visit delivering my ‘Lest We Forget’ workshop to Year 4 & 5 pupils – Sticklepath Community Primary Academy, Devon.

 

P A S T   E V E N T S

2 0 2 3
February
27th   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop to Reception, KS1 & KS2 pupils – Maple Court Academy, Stoke-on-Trent.
28th   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop to Reception, KS1 & KS2 pupils – St Peters Catholic Primary School, Stoke-on-Trent.
     
March
1st   Virtual School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop to Reception, KS1 & KS2 pupils – Widey Court Primary School, Plymouth.
2nd   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop to Nursery, Reception, KS1 & KS2 pupils – Newbold Verdon Primary School, Leicester.
3rd   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop to Reception, KS1 & KS2 pupils during assembly – along with fellow Resident Author Glenn Martin James – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
June
16th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems to Reception pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
21st   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems to Year 1 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
July    
16th   Newcastle-under-Lyme Medieval Market – performing stories and poems as ‘Strolling Storytellers’ – along with fellow author & illustrator Glenn Martin James – Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre.
     
October    
5th   School Visit for National Poetry Day delivering my ‘Conflict’ workshop to Year 9 pupils – Discovery Academy, Bentilee, Stoke-on-Trent.
6th   School Visit for National Poetry Day delivering my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop for KS1 pupils and my ‘Conflict’ workshop to KS2 pupils during their assemblies – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
November    
7th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop for Year 1 pupils, my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop for Year 2 pupils, my ‘Titanic’ workshop for Year 3 & 4 pupils, my ‘Conflict’ workshop for Year 4 & 5 pupils and my ‘Lest We Forget’ workshop for Year 6 pupils  – Alsagers Bank Primary Academy, Stoke-on-Trent.
10th   Virtual School Visit delivering my ‘Lest We Forget’ workshop to Year 7 to Year 11 pupils – Portchester Community School, Portchester, Fareham, Hampshire.
15th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop for Reception pupils, my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop for Year 1 & 2 pupils, my ‘I Want to be an Engineer’ workshop for Year 3 & 4 pupils and my ‘The Abandoned House’ workshop for Year 5 & 6 pupils – Holy Souls Catholic Primary School, Birmingham.
18th   Welcome to Christmas Event – performing stories and poems as ‘Strolling Victorian Storytellers’ – along with fellow author & illustrator Glenn Martin James – Hanley Town Centre, Stoke-on-Trent (11.00 am – 4.00 pm).
24th   Virtual School Visit delivering my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop for Reception pupils, my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop for Year 1 pupils, ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop for Year 2 & 3 pupils, my ‘I Want to be an Engineer’ workshop for Year 4 pupils, my ‘The Abandoned House’ workshop for Year 5 pupils and my ‘Titanic’ workshop for Year 6 pupils  – Perry Wood Primary and Nursery School, Worcester.
     

 

2 0 2 2
March
3rd   Virtual School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘I Don’t Want To’ workshop to KS1 & KS2 pupils during their online assembly – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
June
4th   Crowning Ceremony Performance – A recreation of the coronation, where I played a BBC broadcaster – The Market Cross, Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre (2.00 – 3.00 pm).
5th   Storytelling at Newcastle’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations performing my stories and poems along with fellow author & illustrator Glenn Martin James – The Guildhall, Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre, ST5 0QP (3.00 – 4.30 pm).
14th   School Visit delivering my ‘I Want to be an Engineer’ workshop to Year 5 pupils. Performing some of my STEM poetry, tackling stereotypes of engineers and encouraging all genders to consider/pursue engineering and STEM subjects – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
15th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems to Year 1 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
July
8th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems to Reception pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
October
7th   School Visit for National Poetry Day delivering my ‘I Don’t Want To Eat That’ & ‘I Don’t Want to Stop Playing’ workshops to KS1 & KS2 pupils during their assemblies – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
December
17th   A Christmas Carol Performance – An adaptation of Charles Dicken’s immortal classic by The John O’Gaunt Irregulars Performance Group, where I played the narrator – Mellards Bar, Market Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 1AA (7.00 – 8.00 pm). 
18th   A Christmas Carol Performance – An repeat performance of Charles Dicken’s immortal classic by The John O’Gaunt Irregulars Performance Group, where I played the narrator – Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre (1.00 – 2.00 pm). 

 

2 0 2 1
(Due to Covid-19, some events planned for 2021 have been postponed or cancelled)
June
10th   Virtual School Visit delivering my ‘Lest We Forget’ workshop performing war poems to Year 5 and 6 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
25th   Virtual School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems to Year 1 – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
July
5th   School Visit delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop to Year 3 to Year 7 pupils – Yarlet School, near Stafford. 
     
September
7th   School Visit performing some of my poetry and talking about my career so far at their Library Launch (for the new Year 7) – The Orme Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme. 
10th   Return School Visit performing some of my poetry and talking about my career so far at their Library Launch (for local primary schools’ Year 6) – The Orme Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme. 
     
October
7th   Virtual School Visit for National Poetry Day delivering my ‘I Don’t Want to Eat That’ workshop to KS1 & KS2 pupils during their online assembly – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
November
21st   Newcastle-under-Lyme Christmas Lights Switch On – performing stories and poems as ‘Roaming Victorian Storytellers’ during this popular event for the 5th year running – along with fellow author & illustrator Glenn Martin James – Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre (11.30 am – 5.00 pm).
     

 

2 0 2 0
(Due to Covid-19, numerous events planned for 2020 were postponed or cancelled)
March
5th   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘I Don’t Want to Go to School’ workshop to Reception, KS1 & KS2 pupils during assembly – along with fellow Resident Author Glenn Martin James – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
October
1st   Virtual School Visit for National Poetry Day delivering my ‘I Don’t Want to Go to Bed’ workshop to KS1 & KS2 pupils during their online assembly – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
November
7th   Stoke CEP Saturday, Inspiring Creative Education’ online event – Participating artist at this event for all teachers and educators (9.30 am – 4.30 pm).

 

2 0 1 9
 
February
     
28th   Year 6 Careers Fair – Stallholder at this Careers Fair for Year 6 pupils, talking to the pupils about my profession – Clarice Cliff Primary School, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent.
     
March
4th   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop to Reception, KS1 & KS2 pupils during assembly – Springcroft Primary School, Blythe Bridge.
7th   School Visit for World Book Day delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop for Nursery & Reception pupils, my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop for Year 1, 2, 3 & 4 pupils and my ‘Titanic’ workshop for Year 5 & 6 pupils – Silverdale Primary Academy, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
26th   Youth Group Poetry Workshop delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything” workshop to Friends for Leisure’s Crewe Youth Group (13-21-year-olds with special educational needs) – All Saints Church, Stewart Street, Crewe, CW2 8LX (6.30 – 8.00 pm).
     
May
4th   Book Signing at the ‘Book Babes in Stoke’ Author Signing Event – The Moat House Hotel, Etruria Hall, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5BQ (9.30 am – 4.30 pm).
     
June
1st  

Queen Victoria’s 200th Birthday Celebration – An education trail involving famous Victorians (some with a local link), a display of Martian War Machines (built by Glenn Martin James) in celebration of the local connection to famous Sci-Fi author HG Wells. And a display of Victorian Toys for children to learn about, play with and then make their own – The Guildhall, Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre (11.00 – 3.00 pm).

Fellow author Glenn Martin James and I co-planned and delivered this event along with Newcastle-under-Lyme BID.
12th   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems to Year 1 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
24th   Judging of Public Speaking Competition of KS2 finals – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
29th  

Homecoming Celebration – Martian War Machines and Victorian Toys appeared in Newcastle for a second time, at the Homecoming celebration (on the back of the success of their first appearance on the 1st June)  – The Guildhall, Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre (11.00 – 3.00 pm). 

Fellow author Glenn Martin James and I were delighted to be asked to repeat the display/event.
     
July
1st   Judging of Public Speaking Competition of Reception/KS1 finals – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
9th   School Visit delivering my ‘Conflict’ workshop performing conflict poetry from my book ‘Conflict’ to Year 6 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
September
21st   Mock Mayor Performance – A recreation of the old mock making ceremony – The Market Cross, Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre (12.00 – 12.30 pm).
     
October
24th   3rd Annual Stoke CEP Cultural Arts Networking Event – Stallholder at this event for all teachers and educators – Staffordshire University, Henrion Gallery, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE (3.00 – 6.00 pm).
31st   ‘Spooky Spectacular’ Children’s Halloween Workshop performing spooky stories and poems (mainly from my ‘The Abandoned House’ workshop) – along with fellow author & illustrator Glenn Martin James – Artisan Tap, 552 Hartshill Road, Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 6AF (6.00 – 7.30 pm).
     
November
16th   Newcastle-under-Lyme Christmas Lights Switch On – performing stories and poems as ‘Roaming Victorian Storytellers’ during this popular event for the 4th year running – along with fellow author & illustrator Glenn Martin James – Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre (11.30 am – 5.00 pm).
     

 

2 0 1 8
     
January
24th   Performance of poems with fellow author & illustrator Glenn Martin James – as ‘Roaming Poets’ at The (Un)Official Tour of Stoke event – Stoke-on-Trent (Meeting outside the Glebe pub, Stoke – 12 pm till 12.45pm & 1 pm till 1.45 pm).
     
March
29th   School Visit for World Book Day performing a selection of poems/stories (mainly from my ‘I Don’t Want to Go to School’ workshop) to KS1 & KS2 during assemblies – along with fellow Resident Author Glenn Martin James (postponed from World Book Day, 1st March due to snow) – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
May
14th   School Visit performing poems on the ‘Rainforest’ to Year 4 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
June
21st   School Visit delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems to Year 1 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
25th   Judging of Public Speaking Competition of both Reception/KS1 & KS2 finals – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
July    
13th   School Visit delivering my ‘Poetry Can Be About Anything’ workshop performing a selection of poems to show poetry’s diversity to Year 3 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
     
September
8th   Re-Launch of the St. Giles Heritage Churchyard Project ‘Heritage Trail and Education Pack’ – St Giles Church, Church St, Newcastle-under-Lyme ST5 1QS (on Heritage Open Day – 11.00 am till 3.00 pm). Fellow author Glenn Martin James and I co-wrote and co-performed the Heritage Trail and co-wrote the ‘Engaging with History’ section of the Education Pack.
October
6th   Kidz of Carerz ‘Sons and Daughters’ Event performing poetry and delivering a creative writing session as part of a unique event for Foster Carers’ own children to celebrate the contribution they make to the Fostering Service and the lives of Children in Care – King Street Studios, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
24th   Cultural Education Conference & Tea Party – Stallholder at this cultural networking event for all teachers and educators – The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Bethesda Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3DW (4.00 – 7.00 pm).
29th   ‘Guess the Animal’ Children’s Half-Term Workshop delivering my ‘Guess the Animal’ workshop performing animal stories and poems – The Brampton Museum, Brampton Park, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 0QP (10.15 – 11.15 am).
31st   ‘Spooky Spectacular’ Children’s Halloween Workshop performing spooky stories and poems (mainly from my ‘The Abandoned House’ workshop) – along with fellow author & illustrator Glenn Martin James – Artisan Tap, 552 Hartshill Road, Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 6AF (6.00 – 7.00 pm).
     
November
17th   Newcastle-under-Lyme Christmas Lights Switch On – performing stories and poems as ‘Roaming Victorian Storytellers’ during this popular event for the 3rd year running – along with fellow author & illustrator Glenn Martin James – Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre (12.00 – 5.30 pm).
     
December
7th   School Visit delivering my ‘Lest We Forget’ workshop performing war poems to Year 5 pupils – Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.