Friday 25th March 2022
7pm – 9pm (Doors open: 6.30pm)
Lakeside Kitchen & Bar, Ferry Meadows, PE2 5UU
Free with limited capacity – please book in advance
*Free parking at Ferry Meadows for all attendees thanks to the generosity of Nene Park Trust
If you have any questions about the event, please email poetrysyntax@gmail.com
About the Peterborough Poet Laureate 2022 Final
Be prepared to make some noise and hype these talented poets in a way they deserve! Join us for a thrilling night of poetry and spoken word, in which the newest Peterborough Poet Laureate will be crowned.
Finalists will each share their poem with the audience and judges to a supportive and rowdy crowd. The theme for this year’s competition is “manifesto”. The judges will then go off to deliberate, confer, and select the winner of this year’s competition. What more excitement could you want on a Friday night?
Expect to be entertained and perhaps get a bit emotional! Poetry is a powerful mechanism for making us feel. We anticipate that poets will have done what poets do best and interpreted the competition theme in a huge plethora of ways.
For many of us, it’s the first time we’ve been able to come together and celebrate with our great big extended poetry family, so we’re thrilled that the laureate competition will bring together old faces and new for a special night.
The event is free and open to the public. You are more than welcome to bring your family and friends, or come along and spectate.
To read more about the competition and enter, click here.
Judges
We are honoured to host a line-up of incredible individuals, who are each a community champion in their own right:
Bernadetta Omondi (chair of Peterborough Racial Equality Council, chair of Black History Month)
Benny Turner (co-founder of Beat This C.I.C and Chime Creation Centre)
Teddi the Drag Queen (chair of Peterborough Pride)
Eva Woods (Peterborough Youth MP)
Heading up the judging panel will be Malika Speaks, your Peterborough Poet Laureate 2019-2021.
Staying Safe
We encourage everyone to take a lateral flow test the night before, and stay at home if you have a positive result or are experiencing any symptoms.
Mask wearing is also welcomed at the event.
About the venue
If you’ve not been before, you’re in for a treat! The gorgeous Lakeside is right in the green heart of the city, the wonderful Ferry Meadows.
The venue for the final has been generously provided by Nene Park Trust, so please do buy a drink or two as a gesture of thanks. Please note, there will be no food served at the event.
For more information about Lakeside Kitchen & Bar, visit their website.
Getting to and from the venue
Nene Park Trust have lots of information about finding the venue and parking on their website: https://www.nenepark.org.uk/ferry-meadows
Please take care when travelling to and from the venue. Ferry Meadows is likely to be dark as you arrive, and even darker as you leave. We recommend walking in groups and making sure your phone is fully charged in case you need to use a torch in dimly lit areas.
We also recommend allowing yourself plenty of time to get to the venue for a 7pm start. We will have a tight schedule to ensure that we finish on time – so if you’re not there by 7pm we will start without you.
The quickest and safest walking routes to the main roads can be seen here:
Please allow enough travel time. Walking to LK&B from the South car park near the visitors centre takes 15-20 minutes.
A map of Ferry Meadows is available here.
Car Parking
Please park in the North car park, which can be seen here:
Take extra care as you leave the venue as there are no streetlights in the car park exit route, which also has narrow roads.
Car parking information is also available on Nene Park Trust’s website.
Buses
Lakeside Kitchen and Bar is a 20 min walk from bus stations in Orton Wistow and Oundle Road. According to Stagecoach buses, the number 1 bus towards Werrington (passing through Peterborough City Centre) departs from Paulsgrove bus station at 21:48 and 22:48. Please double-check information available on Stagecoach’s website on the day of the final, as timings may be subject to change or cancellations.
We want to make sure the venue is as accessible to you as possible, so we will keep you updated about the best routes, where to park, and any other transport-related information on this page. If you have any questions, please email poetrysyntax@gmail.com
Syntax Poetry Collective 