Independence Day this year marks the start of the Ledbury Poetry Festival, where I'm once again running from venue to venue to capture the performers and hopefully something of the atmosphere.
Pics will be posted to the Festival site regularly so I'll limit the ones I put here.
Highlight of Friday was Mark Gwynne Jones and the Psychicbread (left). Mark is from my wife's neck of the woods - Matlock Bath - and gave the Festival an unforgettable performance; poetry but maybe not as some people know it.
Saturday had a fair share of performances and activities for kids, starting with John Agard and his creole nursery rhymes. He didn't like being on video but it's a free country so you can see it on the Ledbury Portal.
The flag and garland making moved inside to Icebytes because of the threat of rain but Shedman enjoyed a steady stream of visitors to his shed outside the Burgage Hall, including a newly-wed couple! I was happy to take a couple of shots and refrained from asking them why they didn't book me for their wedding photography :-)
Today was a very international day with poets from Latvia, Sweden, Lithuania and Syria to name but a few, but the highlight had to be Michael Rosen. The children's laureate was joined by Jackie Kay & Francesca Beard and had a packed Community Hall in stitches for a full hour.