The family-friendly Deer Shed Festival has today announced its full music line-up for 2024.
The event, which takes place at Baldersby Park, Topcliffe from July 26 to 29, features diverse acts ranging from the African rhythms of KOKOKO! to LVR, whose members include Poet Laurette Simon Armitage.
Other headline acts include UK singer-songwriter Katherine Priddy, feminist quintet Nana Benz Du Togo and Leeds-based Deadletter plus Flamingods, The Coral, Bombay Bicycle Club and CMAT.
Deer Shed 2023
Also announced today are Oneda, Jessica Winter, Chalk, Lizzie No, Frankie Archer, The Itch, Dana Gavanski, Ellur, tinyumbrellas, Morgan Harper Jones, Lily Lyons, Aayushi, Our Man in the Field, Kathryn Williams and Withered Hand, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Katie Gregson-MacLeod, Group Listening & Niki Stevens.
The comedy line-up, shows, films, science, sports, workshops, wellbeing and literary and spoken word are all still to be revealed.
Deer Shed has stages, tents, workshops, sports activities and outdoor fun for children and families to enjoy together. Tickets are on sale now.
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Poet Laureate unveils poem carved into stones at Brimham Rocks
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage was in Nidderdale yesterday to unveil one of his poems carved into stones at Brimham Rocks.
Simon Armitage, who has been Poet Laureate since 2019, composed Balancing Act based on the popular Nidderdale attraction. The work was commissioned by the National Trust.
Within the poem, the Yorkshire-born poet illustrates why the rocks are such a significant spot for both visitors and nature.
Two large stones – which double-up as an art installation – each showcase a verse of the poem. They have been positioned at Brimham on the north moor, next to the rocks to offer a place of reflection and serenity.
The poem was carved by the National Trust’s lead specialist craftsperson, Richard Dawson, into Yorkshire sandstone called Witton Fell.
The stone was chosen because its colour and texture is representative of Brimham’s stone formations.
Pic: National Trust Images / Annapurna Mellor
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Mr Armitage said:
“It was a chance to get reacquainted with the rocks. I’d explored them as a child and in my memory, they were almost mythical or pieces of an alien landscape.
“Coming back to the area as an adult and a poet they were no less fascinating and mysterious but carried new messages connected to the environment, the precarious state of nature and the importance of wild spaces to our well-being.”
Brimham Rocks has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The status, attributed by Natural England, is used to protect environmental heritage sites in the British Isles from development, insensitive land management, or pollution.
Pic: National Trust Images / Annapurna Mellor
Mr Armitage continued:
“I also discovered that Brimham Rocks is more than just the stones, and the poem is a celebration of the wider ecosystem, from some of its more glamorous and obvious manifestations to micro-organisms, open moorland, and seemingly empty skies.”
Justin Scully, general manager at Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and to have a physical representation of his poem Balancing Act as a permanent art installation on the moor at Brimham.
“We want to make Brimham Rocks feel more relevant to people and their everyday lives. We want it to be a place of reflection and inspiration, where visitors can come and spend some quiet time connecting with nature as well as a place where they come to climb, hike and play.”
More information on the poem and other ongoing events at Brimham Rocks can be found here.
Stone-carved poem to be unveiled at Brimham RocksA poem specially written by the Poet Laureate and carved into a permanent art installation will be unveiled at Brimham Rocks this Thursday (June 22).
Huddersfield-born poet Simon Armitage was commissioned by the National Trust to write the poem, which encapsulates why it is such an important place for nature, wildlife, and visitors.
A permanent art installation of two large stones, each containing a verse of the poem, will be positioned at Brimham on the north moor adjacent to the rocks, offering a place of reflection and contemplation.
The poem’s name, Balancing Act, reflects the sometimes conflicting roles the National Trust must play in both protecting and sharing Brimham Rocks.
Simon Armitage is professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and was appointed Poet Laureate in 2019. He said:
“It was a chance to get reacquainted with the rocks. I’d explored them as a child and in my memory, they were almost mythical or pieces of an alien landscape. Coming back to the area as an adult and a poet they were no less fascinating and mysterious but carried new messages connected to the environment, the precarious state of nature and the importance of wild spaces to our well-being.
“I also discovered that Brimham Rocks is more than just the stones, and the poem is a celebration of the wider ecosystem, from some of its more glamorous and obvious manifestations to micro-organisms, open moorland, and seemingly empty skies.”
Brimham Rocks is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Designated by Natural England, the status is used to protect the natural, environmental, or geological heritage of the British Isles from development, pollution, or insensitive land management.
Justin Scully, general manager at Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and to have a physical representation of his poem Balancing Act as a permanent art installation on the moor at Brimham.
“We want to make Brimham Rocks feel more relevant to people and their everyday lives. We want it to be a place of reflection and inspiration, where visitors can come and spend some quiet time connecting with nature as well as a place where they come to climb, hike and play.”
The poem has been carved by the National Trust’s lead specialist craftsperson, Richard Dawson, into a type of North Yorkshire sandstone called Witton Fell. Sourced from an independent local company, the stone was chosen for its colour and texture, which is representative of the stone formation at Brimham.
The poem Balancing Act will be used by the National Trust to provide example and inspiration for further engagement with the public through literary events and activities with other artists and education providers.
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Simon Armitage poem to be carved in stone at Brimham Rocks
Poet laureate Simon Armitage has been commissioned to write a poem inspired by Brimham Rocks and the surrounding moorland.
The poem, called Balancing Act, will be carved in stone and placed on the moor.
Brimham Rocks is an outcrop of millstone grit rocks formed 325 million years ago near Pateley Bridge. The site, owned by the National Trust, was designated a site of special scientific interest in 1958.
Mr Armitage, who was born in Huddersfield, was appointed poet laureate in 2019. A former geography student at Portsmouth Polytechnic, his work often focuses on northern landscapes.
He appeared at arts festival Feva in Knaresborough and at Ripon Poetry Festival in 2021.
A National Trust representative is due to give a presentation about the poem at Pateley Bridge Town Council tonight.
A trust spokesperson said the poem will “create a permanent artwork and place for reflection” and will be debuted at an official launch on June 22.
Further details are expected next week.
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Poet Laureate brings the ‘primitive magic’ of verse to Ripon festival
Simon Armitage summed up the power of poetry when he read a selection of his works to a packed audience in Ripon on Saturday.
The Poet Laureate, whose poems brought laughter and sadness to 200 people at Ripon Grammar School, said words on a page take on a different character when spoken.
Armitage, who was the star attraction at the fourth Ripon Poetry Festival, described verse as having ‘a kind of primitive magic”.
The West Yorkshire-born and bred poet told the Stray Ferret he was delighted to perform at the four-day festival, where he brought some of his own primitive magic and talked about his local connections.
He said:
“My auntie lives in Ripon and I have many memories of visiting here and going to the cathedral and seeing the hornblower.”
The festival anthology of poems (left) and programme.
Poetry boom
Talking about lockdown, he said:
“Sales of poetry books have done well during the pandemic, as people have had more time to reflect.
“Many recalibrated their lives and decided they were not going back to the way things were before.”
Lockdown also gave Armitage, who was appointed to the 10-year office of Poet Laureate in May 2019, the opportunity to focus on his work.
He said:
“It gave me the time to complete my translation of the long medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale.”
Saturday evening’s audience was given a taste of the epic poem, which focuses on the quarrelsome conversation between the two birds, as they show their mutual dislike.
The newly-published work featured recently on BBC Radio 4’s hit podcast, The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed.
There were also readings from Magnetic Field: The Marsden Poems, a collection that provides a guided tour in verse of the village where Armitage grew up.
Ripon festival success
His lines, which paint a picture of home-town life and experiences, were very much in keeping with the theme of the festival.
Andy Croft, who was one of the organisers of the four-day event, that included 17 sessions at venues across the city, said:
“We are pleased to report that we are now the biggest festival of its kind in Yorkshire.”
Testimony to the growing popularity of poetry was the fact that this year’s festival anthology, The Other Side of the Looking Glass, contains 92 poems covering a broad spectrum of styles and based on a wide range of subjects, including life in lockdown and the environment.
Mr Croft pointed out:
“It contains poems from people of all ages, who live locally and is the largest edition we have published.”
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage in Knaresborough tonight
Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate, will be in Knaresborough tonight for one of the highlights of the town’s Feva festival.
Almost 200 tickets have been sold for An Evening With Simon Armitage, which takes place at Holy Trinity Church at 8pm. Just a few seats remain.
Armitage, who is from Marsden in West Yorkshire, was appointed Poet Laureate by the queen in 2019. he is also professor of poetry at the University of Leeds
He will read his poetry and answer questions from the audience before signing books.
Feva started last weekend and continues until this weekend.
Picnic in the Park, the last major event, takes place on Saturday afternoon in Knaresborough House. Entry is free.
Street entertainers will round off the festival on Sunday.
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Knaresborough FEVA set to return next month
Tickets for Knaresborough FEVA festival have gone on sale after the committee decided next month’s event will go ahead.
The festival of entertainment and visual arts, which is taking place for the 25th time, will feature the likes of poet Simon Armitage, singer-songwriter Jez Lowe and the musician Snake Davis.
Shops have begun decorating their windows in the pink theme in preparation for 10 days of arts at multiple Knaresborough venues.
Planning was delayed this year due to the uncertainty surrounding the lifting of covid restrictions but Gwen Lloyd, the FEVA chairperson, said the committee was now working hard on making it happen.
The event, from August 13 to 22, will feature indoor and outdoor events, including numerous workshops for all ages and hobbies, as well as the much-loved Picnic in the Park.
Picnic in the Park, which is being held on August 21, normally attracts about 450 people to the grounds of Knaresborough House for a free afternoon of music. DJ Trev is among this year’s acts.
To celebrate the 25th festival, a special event will be held in the grounds of Henshaws Arts and Craft Centre at which some 300 people will enjoy music.
Yorkshire Life Aquatic, the dry land synchronised swimmers, will be performing.
The street performers on Market Place will include a Punch and Judy act, jesters and dry land synchronised swimmers will be performing.
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Ms Lloyd said:
“It’s been months of planning, of course it’s nerve wracking because normally tickets are nearly sold out at this point but we have had to wait for lockdown announcements. I’m sure it’ll be a huge success.”
The festival programme is available here.
UK Poet Laureate to read at Ripon Poetry FestivalThe UK’s Poet Laureate Simon Armitage will be reading at the fourth Ripon Poetry Festival, which will return to the city from October 7-10.
The festival was founded in 2017 by three Ripon-based poets, Andy Croft, David McAndrew and Paul Mills.
Born in Marsden, West Yorkshire, Armitage has been the UK’s Poet Laureate since 2019. It is a government-appointed position that dates back to 1668. He is also a professor of poetry at the University of Leeds.
Mr Mills told the Stray Ferret they wanted to have a big name appear at the festival after it was cancelled last year due to covid. Previous speakers include renowned writers and poets Ian McMillan and Michael Rosen.
He said:
“We wanted to re-establish ourselves and rebound from the pandemic.”
Ripon venues that will be taking part in the festival will be announced at a later date.
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Mr Mills is a poet himself and will be reading from his latest collection, Nomad, which includes poems about human evolution.
He expects the covid lockdowns and isolation to emerge as themes at this year’s edition, which he said will feature several local poets.
He added:
“We want visitors to the festival to feel like they’ve had a really entertaining and enlivening experience.”
Organisers have launched a poetry competition, with the best entries on any subject published in a book that will be sold at the festival.
The deadline for entries is July 23 and poems can be submitted on any subject to submissions@riponpoetryfestival.co.uk.
The entry cost per poem is below:
Children: £1
11 to 16-year-olds: £2
Adults: £3 or £5 for two poems
Schools: £10 for 20 poems.