Sixteen local residents came together to pen their thoughts at a creative writing workshop jointly organised by South Holland District Council  and Lincolnshire  Community and Voluntary Services.

Peter Sansom, from the Poetry Business, led the session where members of the group produced numerous poems that were based on the group’s thoughts and interpretations from the photographs and images contained in the book Wide Horizons: A History of South Holland’s Landscape and People.

Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian and English residents of the district were among the group attending the workshop – part of the Wide Horizons project which was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). This project included translating the Wide Horizons book into five languages (Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese and Russian) alongside a series of events to inform and educate local residents about the unique identity of the district and for them to gain a better understanding of what makes South Holland what it is today as well as its  social and environmental history.

Words from the verses will now go on display at a celebration of the project on Sunday April 14 from 12–3pm at Ayscoughfee Hall Museum, Spalding.

South Holland District Council Portfolio Holder for Arts Development, Councillor Nick Worth said: "The quality of the poems  is fantastic. The book has been very popular and has helped to create a shared sense of understanding of the district’s past for both new arrivals and the indigenous population."

One of those who attended, Reverend Peter Garland, said: "Many thanks for encouraging me to go to the workshop at the library which I very much enjoyed. Being surrounded by Polish people, I did manage to say a few words in Polish. Thanks also for the English and Polish versions of the Horizons book which is very interesting."

One Polish visitor added: "We found the workshop very inspirational. Thank you!"

For more details about the project and to download copies of the book, visit the Wide Horizons website.

Further information

South Holland District Council: Chris Hutchings, Communications Officer on 01775 764 885, mobile: 07990 564 378, email: ChrisHutchings@sholland.gov.uk. South Holland District Council website.