20-23 MARCH 2025
AUTHORS, POETS & ILLUSTRATORS I EXHIBITIONS
COMEDY & QUIZ NIGHTS I PERFORMANCES I WORKSHOPS
STORYTELLING I WORD CRAFTS I TRAILS
FEATURING
MR SLEEPYBUM , CHILDREN’S COMEDY SHOW
LAURA PEARSON , NO1 BEST SELLING AUTHOR
ATTIE LIME , POET .... AND MANY MANY MORE
TONY HAWKS , AUTHOR, COMEDIAN & TV PERSONALITY
Bringing together authors, poets, comedians, and presenters, the festival offers a vibrant mix of performances, workshops, exhibitions, literary trails, and fringe events. Designed to inspire and entertain audiences of all ages, the festival is a hub for creativity and community spirit.
This not-for-profit event is made possible by a dedicated team of volunteers who help organise and deliver an exciting four-day programme.
The 2025 Festival Team:
Attie Lime – Content Creator, Festival Director & Poet
Debbie Davies – Stories of Swad, Scribes Aloud, Writer
Felicity Towns (Rosliston Forestry Centre) – Family Fun Day @ Rosliston
Hannah Wood (People Express) – Swad’s ‘Reet Good’ Art Exhibition & Trail
Ingrid van der Weide – Content Creator, Designer & Festival Director
John Delaney – Author & Workshop Presenter
Sam Holmes (Holmes at Home English Tuition) – Children’s Story Competition
The Swadlincote Festival of Words is proudly supported by South Derbyshire District Council through the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund and the National Forest. We are also grateful for the support of local venues, including Swadlincote Library, Sharpe’s Pottery Museum, People Express, Rosliston Forestry Centre, and Oakland Village.
This festival would not be possible without our dedicated volunteers, funding partners, and venues. Thank you for being part of this literary celebration - we hope you enjoy every moment!
Ingrid van der Weide & Attie Lime, Festival Directors
The residual funds from last year’s event are being put to good use - to fund author and poet visits into our local schools. We are delighted to have Attie Lime, Darren Simpson, Rob Walton and Sophie Sparham visiting five local schools as part of the programme.
Meeting authors and poets can be a transformative experience for schoolchildren, igniting a love for reading, writing, and creativity. These visits bring stories to life, showing young minds that books are more than just words on a page - they are gateways to imagination and self-expression. Engaging with real writers helps children see that their own ideas and voices matter, boosting confidence and inspiring them to explore storytelling in new ways. Whether through interactive readings, writing workshops, or Q&A sessions, these encounters can foster a lifelong passion for literature, improve literacy skills, and encourage children to dream big.
We hope to expand this element of the programme in future years.
This year’s Swadlincote Festival of Words welcomes an outstanding lineup of acclaimed authors, award-winning poets, celebrated comedians, and dynamic presenters. From bestselling novelists to spoken word performers, each guest brings a unique voice and perspective, ensuring an inspiring and unforgettable experience for all who attend.
Joanna Cannon Author
Joanna Cannon’s first two novels, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Three Things about Elsie, were Sunday Times bestsellers and Richard and Judy picks. A regular panellist at major literary festivals, including Hay, Edinburgh, and Cheltenham, her writing has appeared in The Times, The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The Independent, Good Housekeeping, and The Observer.
Joanna has been a guest on BBC Radio 2, BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio London, and Five Live and frequently reviews books for The Guardian. Joanna co-wrote and presented BBC Radio 4’s Papageno and the Poetry of Disquiet, exploring poetry and mental health.
A former hospital doctor specialising in psychiatry, Joanna lives in the Peak District with her family and dog.
Joanna will be in conversation with Sue Wall, a regular Derby Book Festival interviewer, on Thursday 20 March 2025 at 5.30pm (see page 7 for details).
Laura Pearson Author
No.1 bestselling author of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, Laura Pearson returns with her latest novel - The Many Futures of Maddy Hart - a must-read for fans of Colleen Hoover, Jojo Moyes, and Holly Gramazio. A Goodreads review of her latest book: ‘Heartbreaking, uplifting, eye-opening... Such a beautiful story.’
The Last List of Mabel Beaumont was a Kindle No.1 bestseller in the UK and a top ten hit in the US.
With an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester, Laura lives in Leicestershire with her husband, two children, and a cat who prefers her keyboard to a bed.
Tony Hawks Author, Comedian & TV Personality
Tony Hawks is a TV and radio comedian and bestselling author.
Tony Hawks began his career when he formed the musical comedy trio Morris Minor and the Majors. Their success peaked when their comedy record ‘Stutter Rap’ reached number 4 in the UK charts and number 1 in Australia. At gigs Tony can still be persuaded to perform an acoustic version of his ‘hit’.
He is the author of Round Ireland with a Fridge – the story of his absurd quest to hitch round the circumference of Ireland within a month… with a fridge. After being serialised on Radio 4, the book became a top 10 Sunday Times bestseller.
Founder of The Bookload on Facebook, Laura reviews new novels and has been published in The Guardian and The Telegraph.
Join Laura on stage on Saturday 22 March 2025, 3pm to hear her rocky road to publication, the years-long rough patch after her first three books and her recent success with over half a million books sold since 2023 (see page 9 for details).
Tony Hawks has written five other books, Playing with the Moldvans, One Hit Wonderland, A Piano in the Pyrenees, The Fridgehiker’s Guide To Life and his latest, Once Upon A Time In The West Country (which tells the story of how he and his partner Fran uproot from London and settle in a small Devonian village, and attempt to integrate themselves.).
We look forward to welcoming Tony to Swadlincote, hearing his stories and handing him back his fridge. Tony joins us on Sunday 23 March 2025, 4pm. See page 10.
Richard has always been fascinated in history, especially military history with a special interest in disasters e.g. Charge of the Light Brigade, The Alamo, Custer’s Last Stand, and the Titanic.
For many years he has been a columnist for the Derby Telegraph, dealing with Derby’s fascinating local history He is a regular contributor to Radio Derby.
In 1992 Richard opened The Derby Heritage Centre, a former Tudor Grammar School purportedly with ghosts, and this started the origins of the now world famous Derby Ghost Walks.
Richard specialises in ghost tours around the UK and Ireland and has personally taken in excess of a million people on ghost tours.
Richard joins us on Thursday 20th March, 7pm at Sharpe’s Pottery Museum to share plenty of ghost stories. Read more on page 7.
Dawn Jutton’s long and varied career includes photographer, lecturer, social engaged practitioner and most recently poet, but the desire to inspire others underpins all of these. Her own dual practice of fine art and poetry ranges across genres and is generally inspired by place and heritage, but Dawn increasingly digs deep into family relationships and her memories of growing up as a forces’ child.
Dawn’s tenure as Staffordshire Poet Laureate brought her many opportunities to write, to commission, perform across the Midlands and support new and established writing groups. Some of the project highlights include working with Staffordshire Archives on a new LGBTQ collection of oral histories and queer writing as well as editing and publishing an anthology of poems for National Trust’s Blossom Festival at Shugborough Estate.
Since 1999 John has written plots for thirty murder mystery party games (boxed & downloadable) with worldwide sales in excess of 100,000 copies, mainly in the UK and USA.
John has written three musicals (Directions, Dream Home and 68 The Musical ) and a pantomime. He has also written an opera called Tir na Nog and one of the arias from the opera, This Mortal Man, was included on the composer’s album which reached number 1 on the Classical charts in the UK and number 18 on the USA Billboard chart.
John has written a three mystery thrillers called the Jurassic Jemma Trilogy. The books feature fossil hunter Jurassic Jemma Thorne and are set on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.
Dawn will be presenting a poetry workshop for adults on Friday 21 March 2025 and will be sharing some of her own poetry on Saturday 22 March 2025 in celebration of World Poetry Day. See the full details on page 8 & 9.
John will be sharing his routes to publishing as well as reading from the latest instalment of his trilogy, Jurassic Jemma and the Trail of Evil on Friday 21 March, 11am. See page 8.
Poet
Sophie Sparham is a writer from Derby with commissions for BBC Radio 4, The V&A and The People’s History Museum. Sophie has been longlisted and shortlisted for the Outspoken Award for page poetry. They won the 2024 Nature and Sustainability short story competition run by Leicester Literary Festival and they are also a co-director of the Derby Poetry Festival.
Sophie’s latest poetry collection is ‘The Man Who Ate 50,000 Weetabix’.
Sophie joins us for the festival finale on Sunday 23 March, from 7pm at Pegg’s Bar & Street Food. The full details are on page 10.
Sophie is also part of the Festival’s Schools programme and will be visiting Granville Academy.
Colin Etches is the Notts born neurodivergent comedian, who shows that when life is at its darkest, it’s laughter that gets us all through.
From leaving home at 14 and navigating adulthood with zero supervision to questioning religion, relationships, and conspiracy theories, Colin’s show Attention Deficit dives headfirst into the beautiful mess of neurodivergence. It’s raw, relatable, and ridiculously funnybecause when your brain won’t sit still, neither can the punchlines.
After performing across the UK, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg, Colin has been making waves at top comedy festivals, including Edinburgh, Nottingham, Leicester, and Guilford. Whether he’s tackling parenting through an ADHD fog or tearing into the absurdities of modern life, his comedy is sharp, self-aware, and brilliantly chaotic.
Colin will be hosting a comedy workshop before delivering his own performance on Saturday 22 March. See page 9 for all the details.
Elaine Crick and Julia Slater are The Potty Plotters - and they talk… a lot! Hosts of their aptly named Plotcast, they bring humour and passion to all things allotmentrelated.
Elaine grew up in a bustling family of seven, where the allotment was a way of life - dad grew the veg, mum hoed, and the kids lugged watering cans up and down the garden path. The love of growing never left her, and 15 years ago, she took over her sister’s allotment in Derby, fully embracing the joys (and challenges) of allotmenting.
Julia’s journey was more unexpected. Struggling with depression, she found solace in growing vegetables at home - so much so that her flower borders soon filled with potatoes! Realising she needed more space, she took on a full-sized allotment, which became her haven.
Fate (and a shared love of gardening mischief) brought Elaine and Julia together as neighbouring plot holders. Their laughter, antics, and cheeky approach to growing soon earned them nicknames like The Chuckle Sisters, so they made it officialThe Potty Plotters were born!
Join The Potty Plotters for a lively session on Saturday 22 March 2025, from 1pm. See page 8 for details.
The Swadlincote Festival of Words offers an exciting four-day programme packed with inspiring author and poet visits, captivating performances, hands-on workshops, and engaging children’s activities. From thought-provoking discussions to creative sessions, there is something for everyone. Enjoy a lively quiz night, laugh out loud at our comedy night, and immerse yourself in the joy of words at this vibrant literary celebration!
Thursday 20 March 2025
10:00 Rhyme Time @ Swadlincote Library
Drop in to enjoy stories and songs that rhyme and share the fun. Perfect for 0-5 year olds with their carers. Entry is free. No booking is needed.
16:00 An Afternoon in The Attic @ Sharpe’s Pottery Museum
Local films by local amateur film makers, sometimes serious and sometimes hilarious, mostly from the 1960’s, with moving picture nostalgia. Price: £6 per person to include refreshments. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
17:30 In Conversation with Joanna Cannon @ Swadlincote Library
10:00 Think Like a Tree Workshop @ Rosliston Forestry Centre
A workshop exploring how we can learn from trees to improve our own lives: Become more resilient; Achieve your goals; Live more sustainably. Led by a trained facilitator. Cost is £15pp. Booking is essential. Call 01283 535039 or email rosliston@southderbyshire. gov.uk to book your place.
12:30 Forest Bathing: Using Words in Nature @ Rosliston Forestry Centre
A relaxing walk, using your senses and connecting with nature. You will slow down, relax, enjoy Improved sleep and increased focus. Cost is £15pp. Booking is essential. Email rosliston@southderbyshire.gov.uk or call 01283 535039 to book your place.
14:00 Local Songs & Monologues with 5 in Harmony @ Sharpe’s Pottery Museum
Enjoy an afternoon of local songs and monologues by Swad’s best boy band, none other than ‘5 in Harmony’, famous for The Swad Song. Entry is free, however booking is essential.
Joanna is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Trouble With Goats and Sheep, Three Things About Elsie, and her latest novel, A Tidy Ending. Derbyshire-born Joanna shares her love of writing and the inspiration for her stories in conversation with Sue Wall. Price: £6 per person. Booking is essential.
18:00 Celebrating WAYANNAEYINANYONNIT with the Youth Landscapers Collective & The Coal Tits @ Sharpe’s Pottery Museum
WAYANNAEYINANYONNIT (A Big Story), is the YLC’s project with original music based on hidden stories of the National Forest community. YLC will be joined by talented local folk group, The Coal Tits, who celebrate the industrial past and changing landscapes of the National Forest with their original songs and poetry. Entry is free. Booking via Ticketsource is recommended.
19:00 Swad Spoken Word Open Mic Night @ Pegg’s Bar & Street Food
Grab the opportunity to share your words in a safe space with like-minded people. Whether it’s a story, a poem or a monologue. Entry is free. Booking is recommended via Ticketsource to guarantee your speaking slot.
19:30 Richard Felix’s Ghost Stories
@ Sharpe’s Pottery Museum
Richard Felix is most famous as the Historian for Living TV’s Most Haunted appearing in over 120 episodes. An author, a columnist, a regular radio contributor and specialist in ghost tours. Cost is £6pp. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
Friday 21 March 2025
10:00 Storytime @ Swadlincote Library
Come along and listen to some stories and share the fun, perfect for babies, toddlers and pre-school children. Entry is free. No booking needed.
11:00 A Guide to Self-Publishing with John Delaney, Author of the Jurassic Jemma Trilogy
16:00 Flash Fiction Workshop with Rob Walton
John talks about the steps involved in publishing a book on Amazon through KDP. including the process he used to write, edit and publish his mystery thrillers, A Dangerous Fossil, Jurassic Jemma and the Mysteries of Time and Jurassic Jemma and the Trail of Evil. John will finish with a reading from the latest instalment of his trilogy, Jurassic Jemma and the Trail of Evil. Cost is £6pp. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
12:30 Poetry Workshop for Adults with Dawn Jutton
Following a brilliant workshop last year, Staffordshire’s Poet Laureate 2022-24 Dawn Jutton is back again to delve deep into the art of writing and performing poetry. Cost is £6pp. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
14:00 Writing for Wellbeing with Belinda Richards & Debbie Davies
Rob Walton is a published writer of poetry and short fiction, well known for bringing a bit of zing and a bit of zany to his writing. In this workshop, Rob will be reading from his new book Please Don’t Read The Footnotes Please and will give you plenty of inspiration to write your own exciting short stories using quirky themes, concepts and visual writing prompts. Aimed at ages 8 and above. Cost is £3pp. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
Creative writing can be a simple and rewarding way to develop self-expression and make space for reflection. Join Belinda & Debbie for a guided session on how to start writing for your own wellbeing. Entry is free. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is recommended via Ticketsource to guarantee a place.
Time to unwind with a fun Quiz celebrating words in all their glory from classics to contranyms, songs to supervocalics…this will be one quiz to remember! Teams of up to 6 people are welcome at £2 per person with great prizes to enjoy. There will be a bar and snacks available. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
Saturday 22 March 2025
10:00 Word Crafts Inspired by our Fictional Forest Friends
Drop in to the Swadlincote Town Hall for a morning of crafts inspired by books from the forest including Gruffalo Masks, a Wild Robot and lots of furry forest friends. This session is free. No booking needed.
13:00 Slugs and Snails with Allotment Tales
The two outrageous, often rude (and even a bit naughty) allotmenteers, Elaine and Julia, AKA The Potty Plotters, will be telling a few tales. They will be chatting about combating damage to young plants while sharing their top tips on plots, podcasting, and growing your own. Look out for giveaways and plenty of giggles. Cost is £6pp. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
Dawn in action, during last year’s Festival
14:00 Dawn Jutton Presents Extraordinary Worlds
Fresh from her Poet Laureateship, Dawn Jutton shares a selection of her poems in celebration of World Poetry Day. Her own dual practice of fine art and poetry ranges across genres and is inspired by place and heritage. Her poems will mesmerise and move you. Cost is £6pp. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
15:00 An Afternoon with Laura Pearson, Number One Best Selling Author
Laura Pearson writes fiction for women, based on real issues of families, marriage, grief, guilt, second chances and the small moments in life that have a big impact. Becoming a number one bestselling author has not been without its challenges along the way. Hear Laura’s inspirational story about her rocky road to publication, her years-long rough patch after her first three books, and her recent success with over half a million books sold since 2023. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
10:00 Rosliston Forestry Centre Story Trail
Pick up your trail sheet in the shop for a one mile book trail to find all the hidden books, win a woodland medal on completion. We have a book stand so every child can pick a book to take home with them. The cost is £3 per child (Pay in the Rosliston Forestry Centre shop). Suitable for all ages. No booking required.
10:00 Wildlife & Wings with Honeycraft
Enjoy making cyanotype prints using inspiration from the forest. This is a drop in session you can do at any time during your visit. Entry is free.
10:00 Storytelling with the Hazel Twigg Collective
17:00 Comedy Workshop with Colin Etches
Fancy yourself as a comedian, but not sure how or where to start? Join Colin for this 90-minute workshop where he will share his experiences and get you started on yours. There will be as many comfort breaks as needed. Cost is £6pp. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
20:00 Comedy Night with Colin Etches
Brace yourself for the high-energy, unfiltered comedy of Colin Etches - because life is way too ridiculous to take seriously! A 44 year-old adoptee, parent, and grandparent with ADHD, Dyspraxia, and Autism, Colin turns his whirlwind existence into a hilarious, storytelling-driven stand-up show. Cost is £8pp. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
Drop in and listen to stories of the forest with Christine Genders from the Hazel Twigg Collection and be inspired to create your own. This is a drop in session that can be enjoyed at any time during your visit. Entry is free.
10.00 Free Shadow Puppetery & Storymaking with The Babbling Vagabonds
A fun-filled hands-on workshop making your own shadow puppets to take home and help shape stories for their next summer show at Rosliston. Drop in sessions from 10am-12pm and 1-3pm. No booking necessary.
12.30 Think Like a Tree Workshop
See page 7 for full description. Cost is £15pp. Booking is essential. Call 01283 535039 or email rosliston@southderbyshire.gov.uk to book your place.
14:00 Forest Bathing: Using Words in Nature
See page 7 for full description. Cost is £15pp. Booking is essential. Call 01283 535039 or email rosliston@southderbyshire.gov.uk or to book your place.
Sunday 23 March 2025
10:00 Wobbly Words with Attie Lime
Local Poet Attie Lime will perform poems from her brand-new book, Blue Jelly and Strawberries, that will tickle your tastebuds and your funny bone! Full of giggles, wordplay, and a spot of nonsense, you’ll need to bring your joining-in voices! Cost £3 per child. Accompanying adults are free. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
Attie will be selling and signing books after the event.
11:00 Children’s Short Story Competition Prize-Giving Winners of the Children’s Short Story Competition will be awarded their prizes together with their certificate of achievement.
11:30 Meet Steve Smallman, Award-Winning Author of Poo in the Zoo and Maggie Sparks
Steve Smallman worked as a children’s book illustrator for 20 years before he decided to ‘have a go’ at writing his own. Now, over 100 books later, he’s still at it! You can have a go at illustrating by copying Steve’s techniques. Cost £3 per child. Accompanying adults are free. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
16:00 & 18:00 Children’s Theatre Show ‘Mr Sleepybum’
Do you have stupid and silly dreams at night? Well, Mr Sleepybum does and he’s going to reenact them all for you! Mr Sleepybum awakes in his bed to find a theatre full of children and parents. A circus of silly sketches and dream scenes ensues, from swimming with sharks to solving the mystery of the stolen chocolate cake. Mr Sleepybum’s imagination is limitless, offering a unique and engaging experience for children. Mr Sleepybum is ready to captivate audiences with his whimsical adventures and abject brand of silliness. Touted by TimeOut as the Top Kids Show at Edinburgh Fringe and nominated as the Best Kids Show Leicester Comedy Festival 2024, Mr Sleepybum is one show not to miss!! Cost is £6 child/£8 adult. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
13:00 Scribbles & Giggles with Chris White, Writer, Illustrator & Performance Poet Chris is a writer. illustrator and performance poet for children. He has had many poetry and story books published since his first, Bitey The Veggie Vampire, in 2000. His books include The A-Z of Completely Made-Up Dinosaurs and Don’t Put Dave In The Microwave! Chris will inspire your young ones to pick up their pens and start writing with his hilarious performance. Cost £3 per child. Accompanying adults are free. Venue is Swadlincote Town Hall. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
16:00 An Audience with Tony Hawks, the Comedian, Author, Writer and TV Personality @ Oakland Village
The bestselling author of Round Ireland with a Fridge is heading to Swadlincote to collect his fridge!! Yep… it is the real one. Having written five books and made two films, Tony is also a regular on ‘Just a Minute’ and ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’ on Radio 4 among other accolades. Tony will be coming to share his stories. Cost is £15pp. Booking is essential via Ticketsource.
19:00 Pints and Poems @ Pegg’s with Writer and Poet, Sophie Sparham
A great festival finale with Sophie Sparham, a writer from Derby. Sophie’s latest poetry collection is ‘The Man Who Ate 50,000 Weetabix’. With commissions for BBC Radio 4, The V&A and The People’s History Museum, Sophie has been longlisted and shortlisted for the Outspoken Award for page poetry. Sophie also won the 2024 Nature and Sustainability short story competition run by Leicester Literary Festival and they are a co-director of Derby Poetry Festival. Entry is free. Booking is recommended via TicketSource.
Attie is a children’s poet, widely published online and in print magazines and anthologies. Attie has worked as a primary and preschool teacher and now enjoys visiting schools and festivals to spread wordy joy, with the help of her poetry parrot, Marjorie. Attie runs local creative writing group, Swad Scribes, and Poetry Pizza, a poetry group for home-educated children.
Attie’s debut collection of poetry for children, Blue Jelly and Strawberries, published by Otter-Barry Books, is now available from all good bookshops. Children will love Attie’s performance on Sunday 23 March from 10am. You can read more on page 10.
Attie is also part of the festival’s Schools’ Programme. Attie will be visiting Albert Village Primary School, Springfield Junior School, and Hartshorne CofE Primary School.
Steve Smallman worked as a children’s book illustrator for 20 years before he decided to ‘have a go’ at writing his own. Now, over 100 books later, he’s still at it!
Steve visits schools, libraries and festivals and paints murals too! When he’s not working he enjoys holidays, watching TV, gardening and juggling grandchildren!
Steve joins the stage on Sunday 23 March from 11.30am. Read more on page 10.
Chris
Writer, Ilustrator & Performance Poet
Chris has featured at many literary festivals, including The Edinburgh Fringe, The Edinburgh Book Festival, The Doha Book Festival and The Cheltenham Book Festival. His poetry performances and writing workshops have taken him all over the world, visiting schools in places such as China, Russia, Vietnam, Jordan, India, Germany, The Congo, and Qatar where Chris was writer in residence at the National Library.
Chris is a member of the Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation, and was proud to have his work published recently alongside Terry Gilliam, Quentin Blake, Hunt Emerson, Ralph Steadman, and Adam Hargreaves in ‘The Great British Colouring Book’ to help child refugees around the country.
Chris has had his poems and pictures broadcast on BBC TV and radio and worked for the British government and the British Council on various projects. His book, S.H.E.L.L. : Episode 1 - The Horse Awakens was nominated for the 2022 Big Book Award.
Chris’s session on Sunday 23 March from 1pm will be a real treat for children. See page 10.
Rob Walton is a writer, performer and former teacher from Scunthorpe who lives in Whitley Bay, where he writes poetry and fiction for children and adults.
Rob’s poetry for children has been published by The Toy Press, Tyger Tyger, Parakeet and The Dirigible Balloon, and features in anthologies from Macmillan, Bloomsbury, The Emma Press and others. The Emma Press will publish his collection of strange funny flash fictions for children, Please Do Not Read the Footnotes Please, in 2025.
Rob will be hosting a workshop on flash fiction on Friday 21 March from 4pm, perfect for those who are being home-educated or anyone with a love of short stories. See page 8.
Rob is part of the festival’s Schools’ Programme. He will be visiting Blackfordby Primary School.
Darren writes vivid, unruly fiction for older children and teens. His debut novel, Scavengers, was a Guardian Best Book of the Year, and was selected for the national Summer Reading Challenge.
The Memory Thieves was an Observer Book of the Month and a World Book Day Summer Read. His latest book, Furthermoor, was Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Month and a Waterstones Best Book of the Year. Darren is also a Literacy Champion for Read On Nottingham.
Darren is part of the festival’s Schools’ Programme. He will be visiting Springfield Junior School and Albert Village Primary School.
Jody Kamali is a high-energy character comedian, writer and Actor. Jody hails from Bristol but now lives in the South East. With a background in contemporary clowning, he is a veteran of the Edinburgh Fringe, having written and performed fourteen solo shows over the past fifteen years. He is known for his joyful, feel-good original comedy shows.
Jody has worked with veteran Lord of the Rings actor Bernard Hill in the film Golden Years and Harry Hill on the madcap TV project Harry Hill’s Tea Time (Harry Hill describes his act as ‘brilliant…original visual comedy’). His online character Terry the Odd Job Man, is a minor celebrity in Bristol, racking up tens of millions of views on social media in the past ten years.
Jody wrote, and is the main character comedian, of the multi- award-nominated children’s comedy show, Mr Sleepybum. See page 10 for details of the two shows.
Words can be celebrated and enjoyed in so many different ways. The Swadlincote Festival of Words includes a number of fringe events that demonstrate this. From activities at Rosliston Forestry Centre through to workshops, performances and exhibitions in the Town Centre. Here are just a few of the highlights:
Rosliston Forestry Centre, known for its 154 acres of woodland in the heart of the National Forest, is also the inspiration for words of many kinds including poems, stories and even songs. The family day at Rosliston is a great opportunity to enjoy the woodland and take part in a variety of activities inspired by these words.
The Youth Landscapers Collective celebrate their project with original music based on hidden stories of the National Forest community. There will be singing and tales to tell about their creations. Inspired by miners’ galas, Bertolt Brecht, canaries, pigs on walls, local dialect, and the personal histories of those around us, they can’t wait to share WAYANNAEYINANYONNIT with you!
The Book Trail scouts the woods with a number of stories to find. There will also be craft activities with Honeycraft based on a National Forest book and storytelling featuring the flora and fauna of the forest with the Hazel Twigg Collective. Look out for the new art installation that features a pack of wolves running. The installation draws inspiration from folklore and fairytales, where wolves, forests and wilder places have historically been seen as symbols of fear and mystery.
Rosliston Forestry Centre will also host two of their popular workshops, Forest Bathing and Think Like a Tree, both focussing on words. Details of all activities are available on pages 7 & 9. Please note regular parking charges will apply and there is a small charge to take part in the Book Trail.
Think Like a Tree & Forest Bathing @ Rosliston
Forestry Centre
Poetry Workshop for Adults with Dawn Jutton
Writing for Wellbeing with Belinda Richards & Debbie Davies
Flash Fiction Workshop with Rob Walton
Comedy Workshop with Colin Etches
They will be joined by The Coal Tits whose songs are also inspired by the history of the National Forest. The performance takes place at Sharpe’s Pottery Museum on Thursday 20 March from 6pm.
Scribes Aloud are delighted to join this year’s festival with another of their popular Swad Spoken Word evenings where writers can share their poems, short stories or monologues. While this event is free to attend, booking is recommended to guarantee your spot on the mic. The event takes place on Thursday 20th March from 8pm.
Scribes Aloud hold quarterly events. Follow them on Instagram to keep up to date with future events.
In partnership with Derbyshire Makes and People Express, this art trail will feature pieces inspired by words and phrases unique to our town. Artists, community groups, and individuals have submitted artworks that showcase the local dialect as it is used today and, as you explore Swadlincote, you’ll find clues to collect along the way.
Completed entries will be entered into a draw to win a wonderful prize. Entry forms will be available to download from the festival website, or you can pick one up from the South Derbyshire Visitor Information Centre, Swadlincote Library or Sharpe’s Pottery Museum from Monday, 17 March 2025. The exhibition and trail will run until Monday, 28 April 2025.
History plays an important role in all our lives. A great way to preserve our history is through music and film. 5 in Harmony’s songs and monologues are all about pits and pots in and around Swadlincote. They will be singing in the Kiln at Sharpe’s Pottery Museum on Thursday 20 March 2025.
The Magic Attic, our local history archive will be screening old cine films of the local area and reminiscing over days gone past. Together with a cuppa and a piece of cake, you will have a great afternoon steeped in our local history. You’ll find details of both events on page 7.
Taking inspiration from The Gruffalo, The Happiness Tree, The Wild Robot and The Woodland Trust’s A Walk in the Woods, the word crafts for children is free your youngsters. Make a mask or a robot or your own happiness tree or mark making pictures or make them all. This session will take place in the Swadlincote Town Hall on Saturday 22 March from 10am-12noon. No booking is necessary.
Hosted by Holmes at Home English Tuition, children were encouraged to write short stories on the theme of ‘Happiness’.. Winners and runners up will be selected and awarded a certificate and a prize at the prize-giving ceremony on Sunday 23 March 2025. Thank you to People Express in Swadlincote for donating the prizes for this year’s competition.
New poems written by (and about) local writing group, Swad Scribes, will be displayed in the Swadlincote Town Hall as part of this year’s festival. Swad Scribes meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, from 10-11.30am, and the 3rd Sunday of the month, from 1-2.30pm. Both sessions are held at Massey’s Coffee Shop. For more information, visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/attie-lime-poetry.
What happens if the event is cancelled?
Where possible we will try to reschedule the event. If this is not possible, bookers will be eligible for a full refund of the ticket price. All refunds would be made after the festival (from Monday 24 March 2025).
Can I buy a ticket on the door?
It may be possible to purchase tickets on the door at events, subject to availability. Please check the website to see if tickets remain available before travelling to the venue to avoid disappointment.
An event is sold out. Do you have a waiting list?
Yes, waiting lists are available for each event that is managed by the Swadlincote Festival of Words. External events are managed independently. Can I return tickets?
Oakland Village Hall Farm Rd, Swadlincote DE11 8ND www.oaklandvillage.co.uk
Pegg’s Bar & Street Food 5 Belmont St, Swadlincote, DE11 8JU www.facebook.com/peggsbar
Rosliston Forestry Centre Burton Road, Rosliston, Swadlincote, DE12 8JX www.roslistonforestrycentre.co.uk
Sharpe’s Pottery Museum West Street, Swadlincote, DE11 9DG www.sharpespotterymuseum.org.uk
Swadlincote Library Civic Way, Swadlincote, DE11 0AD
Swadlincote Town Hall 3 Midland Rd, Swadlincote, DE11 0AG
Refunds are available on all paid for events if cancelled with 7 days notice. Sadly we cannot offer a refund with less than 7 days notice.
What time should I arrive at the venue?
Doors will open 15-30 minutes before each event.
Will there be a Q&A?
Q&As will take place at the end of most events.
Will there be book signings?
Most authors choose to participate in book signings after their event.
Do I have to accompany my child to events?
Yes, all children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. This means that adults will need to buy tickets too, exactly as if you were going to the cinema. We cannot take responsibility for unsupervised children so please don’t drop them off and leave.
I can’t find my tickets
Don’t worry, your name and will be included on a list at the door and our staff will confirm your name and number of guests when you arrive at the venue.
Is the seating numbered or reserved?
Seating is unallocated at all festival venues.
20-22 MARCH 2026 SAVE THE DATE!
We would love to bring the Swadlincote Festival of Words back in 2026, but we will need your support to make it happen!
With funding sources being stretched across the county, every ticket bought, every event attended, and every word spread will help secure the festival’s future - let’s keep the magic of words alive for years to come!
Ingrid & Attie
