West Midlands Market Towns promise a ‘Better Welcome’

The Warwickshire market town of Polesworth is boosting its tourism image by creating a poetry trail that pays homage to its links with key historic writers, including William Shakespeare.

Polesworth is one of 28 market towns in the West Midlands region to receive a £25,000 grant as part of a £1 million “Better Welcome” campaign to improve their tourism appeal, funded by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.

The Polesworth Poets Trail will run around the town centre. Different art installations will be added along the trail throughout 2009, matching themes from a selection of existing poems.

The grant will also fund a series of workshops based on developing writing skills, giving local people the chance to create a poem to appear on the trail. A national poetry competition will help the project achieve greater exposure.

The English poet Michael Drayton (1563-1631) spent his childhood in the town before rising to prominence with his work during the Elizabethan era, and there is a popular literary theory that William Shakespeare was educated at Polesworth.

Malcolm Dewhirst, Project Manager for the Polesworth Poets Trail, said: “The trail rekindles the traditions of poetry in the town through the setting of new and existing poems into the town landscape.

“Michael Drayton was a friend of William Shakespeare and playwrights John Donne and Ben Johnson. He penned ‘To the Anchor’, part of a collection of 64 sonnets which were a declaration of love for the daughter of his patron, Sir Henry Goodere at Polesworth Hall. Sadly, his love was unrequited and he died a bachelor. But Drayton’s description of the river is still as true today as it was then.

“This is just one of the poems that will help create a unique tourist attraction that will not only promote the town but also provide a creative focus for poets nationwide.”

Mike O’Brien, MP for North Warwickshire, said: “Polesworth is a great place to live in and to visit.  It has a lively history and even some local people are unaware of that.  I am delighted by this initiative.  It will raise awareness about Polesworth and the surrounding area.  Well done to AWM for funding this.”

Phil Roberts, partnerships director at Advantage West Midlands, said: “Developing and investing in our market towns is absolutely essential for the development of our region. Market towns are vital hubs and provide crucial services for the communities they serve.

“The Better Welcome programme is assisting many towns by making their tourism offer even better, perhaps by uncovering ‘hidden gems’ that tourists might not otherwise find.

“It’s also encouraging local people and interest groups to play an active role in the future success and prosperity of their town.”

Background research for the Better Welcome programme started in summer 2007, with a specialist audit of each market’s town’s tourism assets, including a visitor survey of around 150 people per town, to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their tourism offer.