Poetry in motion offers insight into town

celebratory launch event on Friday 16th April

 

A book of poetry written in collaboration with passengers on Swindon buses will be the subject of a celebratory launch event on Friday 16th April.

 

The collection of poems, entitled Swindon Poem Omnibus, is the product of Thamesdown Transport’s ‘poetry in motion’ campaign, which took place last summer.

 

 

The book will be available to buy at the launch event, with all net proceeds being donated to Prospect Hospice.

 

Tony Hillier, Swindon’s resident community poet, took to the buses in July last year to share poetry with passengers and transform their thoughts and feelings into verse.

 

Tony said: “People shared their thoughts and reflections on all sorts of topics; we ended up with poems about the purpose of their journey, how they felt about the town and their memories.

 

“A few of the travellers had previously engaged in poetic activities and we’ve ended up with some lovely pieces.”

 

Paul Jenkins, Managing Director of Thamesdown Transport, said: “The project was inspired by an initiative on the London Underground that saw verses from famous poems being displayed at stations to cheer passengers up.

 

“Tony approached us with the idea and we were intrigued. The poems we’ve ended up with are fantastic and offer real insight.

 

“Thamesdown Transport is an established part of the local community, employing over 270 people and driving over 1,000 children to school every day, and we thought the poetry in motion project was a great way to celebrate the role that public transport plays in the everyday lives of local people.”

 

The book launch will be held at Wharf Green in Swindon town centre on Friday 16th April from noon onwards.

 

Tony will be joined by one of Thamesdown Transport’s buses and will be reading extracts from the book. The poetry book will be available to buy at the launch event and will also be available from Thamesdown Transport’s shop.

 

Members of the public, especially those who contributed to the collection of poems, are invited to attend the launch and enjoy hearing poems from the book being read aloud.