Celebrated wordsmith Roger McGough to judge new National Poetry Competition at Stainsby Festival
Derbyshire’s long-established Stainsby Festival will launch its first National Poetry Competition at this year’s event to be judged by internationally renowned wordsmith Roger McGough.
Known primarily for its music, the festival has previously featured spoken word performances by Longfella (aka the Manchester poet Tony Walsh), the former Derbyshire Poet Laureate Mat Black, the stand-up poet Liv Torc as well as numerous aspiring local poets.
Festival president Tony Trafford said: “We’re exceptionally pleased our new competition will be judged by Roger McGough who’s also appearing at the festival himself. The voice of poetry on Radio 4’s Poetry Please for over 25 years, he’s known for his work nationally and internationally, as well as being a bit famous in Liverpool”.
Shortlisted poets will be invited to read their work (or have it read) at this year’s festival in Roger’s presence. Three winning poems will be published online and (possibly) in this year’s festival programme. The overall winner will be invited to a paid residency at the 2027 festival.
Stainsby Festival has been an entirely volunteer run, not-for-profit event since 1969 (a year before Glastonbury) and became a charity in 1979.
Throughout that time it has spread appreciation of the arts, particularly live music in the British singer/songwriter tradition. Stainsby has helped many careers in the music business: Barbara Dixon, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Carthy & Swarbrick all passed through its tent flaps early in their careers.
At various times in its extraordinary and long history the festival has also featured book launches, street theatre, poetry readings, light painting and philosophy debates.
In 2022 it successfully completed a 10-year fund raising campaign to buy its venue fields and two years later funded and built a permanent oak framed barn as a working base. In 2023 Stainsby Festival won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
On the back of these achievements the festival now has plans to extend the range of arts it supports, starting with this new national poetry competition – entries are now open until May 31, 2026. Full details of the competition and how to enter are on the website: www.stainsbyfestival.org/poetry
This year’s Stainsby Festival will run at Brunts Farm, Stainsby, near Heath, Chesterfield from July 17 to 19. Confirmed acts so far include Seize The Day, Sarah McQuaid, John Ward Trio, Rogue Embers, Alan Rose & Lynda Hardcastle.