A Macclesfield ode by Jo

10:20am Wednesday 20th August 2008

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FORMER Cheshire Poet Laureate Jo Bell’s latest poem put Macclesfield into an alphabet of verse for the 2008 Cultural Festival.

Using some 50 inspirational ideas submitted by members of the public, Jo produced her words of wisdom at a special poetry evening which she jointly hosted with fellow ex-poet laureate Joy Winkler at Christ Church, Great King Street, which was preceded by a poetry trail earlier in the day.

Jo said: "It was certainly one of my longest works and packs in a lot of interesting observations from residents. It took about three hours to write the poem in the end. We've been wanting to do an event which celebrated Macclesfield and which brought poetry to the fore."

This year's Cultural Festival, organised by Macclesfield Borough Council, included a dance and performing arts showcase at Wilmslow Leisure Centre, an evening of Macclesfield Youth Bands, arts workshops at Macclesfield Forest, and an art exhibition at Macclesfield Town Hall.

Organiser Shelagh Malley said: "This year's Festival had something for all ages, with tremendous support for the performing arts showcase and the uniqueness of poetry. It also culminated in a highly-successful Middlewood Way Open Day organised by the Macclesfield Countryside Rangers at Higher Poynton."