A poet who relocated to Worcestershire from the Outer Hebrides is saying thank-you to his adopted area by staging a charity poetry night. The bill for Verse? Aye! includes Dominic Berry, Jackie Hagan, Genevieve Walsh, Fergus McGonigal, and Leanne Moden, and has been organised for Saturday 10 February at 5.30pm at Kidderminster town hall by Matthew Nicholson, in aid of the five nominated charities of the mayors of Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley.

Matthew said: “I moved to the area approximately six months ago after three years recovering in the Outer Hebrides after difficult and challenging circumstances led to poor mental health and a breakdown. I relocated to Stourport with the aim if throwing myself back into poetry. 2017 saw a return to performing and I travelled widely with gigs in Bournemouth, Margate, Lincoln, Liverpool, Leeds and Worcester.

“I have seen am improvement in my mental health and have poetry to thank for that. It has dragged me through some hard times into more positive ones. I wanted to organise something by way of a thank you and felt raising money for charity was the perfect way to do that.

“I have been overwhelmed and genuinely humbled by the response and acceptance if those who have agreed to perform. I see this as the next step in my recovery and from here hope to set up a regular monthly open mic night in both Stourport and Kidderminster.

“If ticket sales for Verse? Aye! sell well I may also host a bigger quarterly event at the town hall to continue to attract some of the big hitters of the UK spoken word scene to the area, while looking to give opportunities to new voices trying to establish themselves.”

Other poets on the bill are Spoz, Nick Lovell. Gary Longden and Charley Barnes. The charities are: Acorns Hospice, Wyre Forest Home Start, Kidderminster Hospital League of Friends, Friends of Riverside North Park, Churches Together Food Bank. Tickets are available directly from the box office at Kidderminster Town Hall for £5 Tel: 01562 732158.