HOW IT CAME ABOUT... Guess you’re wondering who I am and why you may be interested to read my blog. Read on and all will be revealed...

There’s a quote from Adrian Mitchell who sums up how many of us feel: most people ignore most poetry because most poetry ignores most people.

In spite of all the talk of cutbacks in the arts sector in the borough, I have been appointed Harrow’s first community poet. It's the first time such a position has been held here and it's very exciting. Naturally, in my blogs, I’ll be informing you of any events we’re running in Harrow so you can get involved, but I believe my main task is to share my great enthusiasm for poetry.

In future weeks we will be commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day, celebrating National Libraries Day and World Poetry Day too. I hope you support us which will shout out loud and clear just how much you value Harrow arts.

To tell you a little about me, I’ve always enjoyed writing, mainly humorous work, and remember being reprimanded for ‘making witticisms’ in my English class at school. In later years, some of my friends wrote poetry and I thought I’d also have a try and discovered I could do it. As I have frequently acted in amateur dramatics, it was a short jump to performing for local groups and clubs because light-hearted poetry that people can relate to is in demand.

I then presented a weekly radio programme devoted to poetry and it was suggested that a friend and I form the Jewish Poetry Society (JPS) which we have been running in Stanmore every month for about seven years.

I also hold regular workshops for an organisation that supports adults with mental health problems. The first time I went, I was armed with notes about ‘cat’ rhyming with ‘mat’ and ‘bat’. Yes, Miss Patronising, that was me. I then discovered that one of the members had taught ‘A’ level English for twenty years and another had an English degree as well as one in psychology. My notes immediately were thrown away and instead I give them subjects on which to write and the past ten years of working with them have been overwhelmingly rewarding to me and I hope also to the members.

If you are a poet or a would-be poet, please don’t be shy. Send me your poems and, with your permission, I may feature some of them on the blog. In the past I have run a poetry competition for Harrow residents and perhaps in the future, we’ll have another go. Just let me know if you’re up for a challenge.

And now for something completely different …….. about fifteen years ago I worked on a helpline and regularly spoke to a lady who had OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I wanted to learn more about this potentially crippling disorder and helped set up the Edgware OCD Support Group, which meets in Edgware Hospital every month. From time to time I may discuss OCD or invite one of my members to be my guest blogger. I am happy to be contacted if you or a family member suffer from this or want to know more.

Over the next few months, I look forward to us getting to know each other.