Everyday Histories: poetry activities with the Hampshire Poet

Winchester Heritage Open Days 2026

Everyday Histories: poetry activities with the Hampshire Poet

Damian Kelly-Basher, invites you to turn ordinary stories into magical poems in the evocative setting of Pilgrims’ Hall.

Join Damian Kelly-Basher - Hampshire Poet 2024-27 - for a creative writing wordshop followed by a sharing session, drawing on the Heritage Open Days theme of ‘Everyday Histories’.

At this interactive event Damian asks us to imagine the lives of the ordinary people who have worked at and visited this spectacular medieval building through the ages. Do their stories have connections to our own daily lives? 

This is a ‘wordshop’. It’s open, friendly and you don’t need any writing experience in order to participate. Damian will guide you through writing exercises to create a poem of your own, which you can share with the group at the end, if you wish.

Damian Kelly-Basher is the Hampshire Poet. He works with Arts organisations, museums, schools and communities encouraging people to have fun with words. He’s also an experienced performance poet who has performed at events around the UK, (including Royal Albert Hall, Edinburgh Fringe, WOMAD) and The British School in Rome.

Suitable for: all ages and abilities

Duration: 1.5 hours

Format: in person

All resources provided