It is the conker season, when the young and the young hearted scour parks and woodland floors for horse chestnuts. I have met a few people under the conker tree…

Black Combe belongs to the Furness Peninsula. It is our fell, our connection to the Lake District.

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…

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.

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…

Wilhelm Von Humboldt (1767 – 1835) was a linguist and a philosopher of language who tells this story about naming. A peasant was listening to astronomy students as they were…

KABUL AIRPORT 16 AUGUST 2021“Completing the pre-flight checklist:”Flight controls — CheckedInstruments and radios — CheckedAltimeter — CheckedGyroscope — CheckedFuel gauges — CheckedPropeller — CheckedMagnetos — CheckedFlaps — Checked Unchecked items:…

Following the final of EURO21 three black footballers were subject to a torrent of racist abuse on social media. Whatever their intent, the racists have only succeeded in provoking a…