Students enjoyed a poetry reading from one of the lead contenders for Britain’s next Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. He has received numerous awards for his poetry including The Sunday Times Author of the Year. 

Girls were treated to readings of poems which were wide-ranging in style and subject. These included ‘Out of the Blue’ which was written in response to the attack on the Twin Towers in New York. Another was ‘Luddenden Foot’, a rhythmical tongue-twister inspired by a comment from Ted Hughes about this part of Yorkshire being the hippy capital of the western world.

25 girls from English Literature groups also took part in Simon’s Writers’ Workshop, a creative, fast-paced and highly productive session.