Here is another story I used to tell my children. It was one of many based in the Lake District. They began when I was cook and Dee, my wife…

I wrote this poem for my writers group, Maggies’ Creatives, led by the excellent Clare Stuart. They meet at the Maggies Centre in Manchester every Thursday and let me join…

the ones I made up, featuring them as the heroes in magical tales based on their holidays with grandparents in Cleethorpes and Mablethorpe and with us in the Lake District.

Childhood’s boundaries are marked in chalk on walls and pavements. They are never completely erased and once you have crossed the border you can never return. You know you’ve crossed…

Three poems for the new year, and how we can work together if we want to make it a happy new year.

Why I write and why I hope. A short explanation and two poems about Christmas.

Another Christmas letter written in strange times. We decided not to go on holiday this year. We have made do with day trips to the Lake District and occasional visits…

For the Christmas edition of Critical Mass, Dave Middleton asked contributors for lists of twelve: books, songs, films; whatever we like. So naturally I chose books. Now Critical Mass is…

Recently the Guardian published this poem by Simon Armitage. I wanted to react to Cop26 – so many of my friends and colleagues have been emboldened by the conversation it has…

This is my entry to the Kendal Mountain Festival Open Mountain Competition. It was not selected so I am sharing it here. Background The county of Cumbria is not well…