To coincide with GWT’s Poetry Competition, we are running poetry workshops at a small handful of our reserves in May and June.

For this immersive workshop, Billy will accompany you on a quiet journey through Swift’s Hill reserve. You will reflect on your own relationship with the natural world and explore how the simplest of experiences in your surroundings can be the starting point for a poem. Open to all (much or no experience of writing poetry are equally fine!). Tasks are designed so that attendees feel under no particular pressure.

You can sign up for just one immersive workshop. With no more than 10 people per group, you and other attendees will work closely alongside Billy. The session lasts 2 hours and is £30 per person. Refreshments at the end are included.

Swift’s Hill has wonderful views of the Slad Valley and a wealth of wildlife. The limestone grassland here supports over 130 species of wildflowers including 13 species of orchid including the rare frog orchids, bee orchids and early purple orchids.

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Billy grew up in the Stroud valleys but has spent much of his adult life in Antananarivo, Madagascar. He is currently finishing work on a full-length poetry collection and on a creative writing PhD at the University of East Anglia, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. He has run creative writing courses for many years at the University of Antananarivo, specialising in outdoor workshops. Billy is also now involved in a number of collaborative projects aimed at helping people feel a stronger connection to the natural world and its plight. We’re thrilled to be teaming up with him at GWT.