Looking Back on the Downland Poets 50thAnniversary Year 2025
Our year started as always with our AGM in January. Poetry, free choice.
(Minutes for members available from Hilary Bourne-Jones)
(No meeting in February)
In March a special edition of The Downlander Magazine was produced and edited by Peter Wathen, editor. This wire bound, glossy publication contained 80 pages featuring many of our members successes, plus new work. The winners of the EB-J competition 2024 were also published in this edition. They were:
The Winner - Imagination – Chris Ralls
The Runner-up – In the Footsteps of Saint James – Peter Wathen
Highly Commended – And Once Like Pirates – Peter Wathen
Highly Commended - Luxembourg Nights – Peter Wathen
Highly Commended – Nineteen – Hilary Bourne-Jones
Highly Commended – Three Women (acrostic) Hilary Bourne-Jones
Highly Commended – This Room is Full – John Myers
The Adjudicator was Kevin Sculley
The theme for the March meeting was ‘Bridges’
World Poetry Day was also in March and presented by Pam Knapp of the Poetry Café with John Myers and Nicki Watts, who are also both members of The Downland Poets. A very well attended meeting with the poetic theme of Journeying. With reading contributions by members of the Downland Poets amongst many others, some imaginative and highly original poems were presented to an, as always, large and appreciative audience.
The theme for April was ‘A Surrealist Poem’
The theme for May was a ’Set Form’
The theme for June was ‘Rainbows’ or ‘Climax
All featuring original work and taking place at the Hampden Park Bowling Club.
Also, in June, Chris Ralls and Peter Wathen gave an interview on Hailsham Radio FM to talk of poetry and the Downland Poets celebration of their 50th Anniversary as a poetry group. To hear the interview go to:
https://www.mixcloud.com/HailshamFM/interview-downland-poets-11-6-25/
The Sussex Modernism event at the Towner was on 4th July. 6 poets read including Nicki Watts, Keith Willson, Chris Ralls, And John Myers from the Downland Poets. Being technical, the term for writing poetry on a painting/s is ekphrastic, but a title by any other name would have been as good. Some superb and memorable poetry was read on some well-chosen paintings in the Towner to a large and appreciative audience.
July was the month of our special 50th Anniversary tea party at the Langham Hotel, Eastbourne. Both current and retired members enjoyed high tea and reading their poetry, along with guests from the Poetry Café, close relations and special friends.
The whole of the basement floor was given over to our party, and the surroundings, ambience and good company were second to none. Our booked time of 2 to 5pm seemed to go by very quickly.
(No meeting in August)
In September the results of The Edna Bourne-Jones Poetry Competition 2025 were announced. The adjudicator was Trevor Amey. Congratulations to all.
The prize-winners were:
Winner – Death of a Border Collie – Marion Myers
Runner-up – Ruth-less – Marjorie Holmes
Highly Commended – An English Queen – Chris Ralls
Highly Commended - Silent Echo – Chris Ralls
Highly commended – Overheard Ansaphones – Marjorie Holmes
Highly Commended – The Beyond-ness of Things – Sue Stevenson
All the above will be published In the March Downlander 2026
The Downland Poets were once again pleased and proud to be a part of the Hailsham Arts Festival, held every year in September We have been doing a ‘gig’ there for many years now, and we have not just a loyal, but talented audience, (as demonstrated by their ‘open mic’ contributions). The reading is conducted in a friendly and informal way. The format is that the Downland Poets read their pieces first, then break for tea, cake and biscuits and to socialise. Then it’s the open mic session, available to all who have come along to hear us and who would like to share their own poetry with us.
Peter Wathen won a Highly Commended in the Hailsham Festival Short Story Competition for his entry: ‘Amsterdam 1969’ Theme for the Comp was ‘A New Place’
National Poetry Day was celebrated at The Fishermen’s Club, Eastbourne, on the 3rd of October. The event, on the theme of ‘Play’, was organised by the Poetry Café and ably compered by Nicki Watts, Pam Knapp and Mark Durbidge, and despite storm-force weather that evening, the event was very well attended by an enthusiastic audience.
Peter Wathen was a winner in the World Poetry Day poetry competition with his poem ‘Playtime’; and his grandson Louis, was also a winner in the under 18s competition with his acrostic poem entitled ‘Play’.
On Saturday 18th October the third, Eastbourne Poetry Festival took place in the beautiful setting of the Birley Centre. A small group of poets assembled to recite their work and enjoy the works of others. Guest poet Tim Barlow also delighted the audience with 2 sets of about 10 minutes each. Tim was very entertaining and was well received. Members from the Poetry Café and Downland Poets were in attendance. We heard a wide variety of poetry on a range of subjects and in many different styles. We were taken on a wonderful journey of emotions upon hearing funny, thought provoking, romantic, emotive and controversial pieces. Everyone who came enjoyed the event and we all had a lovely afternoon together. Joanna Rose Barton and I (Nicki Watts) look forward to bringing the Eastbourne Poetry Festival back next year.
The Downland Poets met at the Hampden Park Bowling Club on October the 15th for their monthly meeting. The theme was ‘What makes you happy/What makes you angry’which made for some very interesting contributions.
We warmly welcomed Nicki Watts and Roma …? as guests, who joined The Downland Poets at this meeting.Keith Willson continues to have his poetry and short stories published in small magazines and other publications, some of his successes for 2025 are below.
Catch a Wave and To a Spider published in Dream Catcher 51 Stairwell Books ISSN 146-9455 Tap Dancing at Dave Silk's Funeral published in New Contexts 7 Coverstory Books ISBN978--1-0686701-5-2 (paperback) 1-0686701-4-5 (ebook)
Two short stories; Don't! and Seconds Count were published in The Frogmore Papers and Scribble respectively.
I have just received Finola Holiday’s latest collection of poems entitled ‘Spirit Island’.In 2021 she had published the intriguingly titled ‘A Nest of Tigers’, from which some of its poems were featured in our 50th Anniversary Issue Downlander.
Both the above titles are published by ‘Scriptoria’ ISBN: 978-1-O682710-0-7
Finola, as most of you know, was formerly a long-standing member of the Downland Poets, and became a postal member after she ‘retired’ from coming regularly to meetings a few years ago – not to take it easy, though! She has since celebrated her 100th Birthday and she is still giving public readings locally in her home town of Hove; and to write and publish books of excellent poetry stemming from her experiences of a long, adventurous and poetic life. Long may she continue to do so.
