Month-long poetry trail kicks off in Woolwich to celebrate the community and its history

A month-long poetry trail has kicked off in Woolwich to encourage the community to share stories and discover its history.

Woolwich Speaks launched on Friday in the form of a brightly-coloured trail of verse adorning a dozen buildings including the Royal Arsenal Gatehouse, Woolwich Arsenal Station and the Woolwich Centre Library.

The community-led project, running until September 5, celebrates the area’s street life by exploring its past, present and future through poetry.

The project is commissioned by Royal Borough of Greenwich and produced by Poet in the City and RevolYOUtion.

Rasheeda Page-Muir has written a poem that has been turned into a film by local filmmakers as part of the event.

The 23-year-old poet, public speaker, writer and community organiser wrote the Woolwich Epic poem after conducting life story interviews with Woolwich residents ranging from community leaders and young people to business owners, who shared their thoughts and stories about the town and what it means to them.

The Woolwich Epic poem personifies the town as a woman who has seen the many diverse stories, experiences, and lives that have contributed to the area’s identity.

It is a creative response to the high street that acknowledges the importance of the public spaces we all share, communicating pride and hope but not shying away from challenges and struggle.

A film of the poem, created by Woolwich-based writer and director Joe Watkins and starring Woolwich secondary school students, features local landmarks as well as archive footage and will be shown on the Woolwich Big Screen throughout August .

Poet in the City Chief Executive Isobel Colchester said: “We’re very grateful to the people of Woolwich for sharing their stories with us and hope they see themselves and their town reflected in Rasheeda’s poem and the film.

“We know that poetry can be powerful and has the ability to create unexpected connections – I look forward to finding out where this poem will take people.”

Residents and visitors are invited to take part by picking up a map of the trail from locations around town including Woolwich Centre Library.

Visitors can watch the film, follow the trail, created by Applied Live Art Studios (ALAS), and share their photos and thoughts about the future of Woolwich’s streets using #WoolwichSpeaks

The trail takes the form of speech bubbles featuring fragments of the poem, their bright colours contrasting with the brick, stone and concrete of the urban environment.

Up to three metres long and installed at different heights and scales, the speech bubbles suggest that the surrounding buildings are sharing their secrets, while also reflecting the intimacy of smart phone text conversations.

Cllr Denise Scott-Mcdonald, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Good Growth, Royal Borough of Greenwich said: “Woolwich Speaks is just one project which contributes to our ongoing multi-million-pound investment in Woolwich town centre.

“We’re restoring empty buildings, building a new leisure centre, refurbishing the Tramshed theatre and getting ready for Woolwich Works, our new creative district, which opens in September.

“It’s really important that projects like this are community-led, so I’m glad that the poem and film showcase local talent.”

Clare Charlesworth, Head of Region, Historic England in London and the South East, said: “I hope that by following the Woolwich Epic woven through the streets, people will discover new corners of this historic part of London.

“This is just the beginning of an exciting three-year programme which will see the physical transformation of some of Woolwich’s much-loved heritage, alongside further cultural activities based around the high street.

“By putting heritage at the heart of Woolwich we hope to bolster a sense of pride in the local character and strength of community in the area.”

Visit poetinthecity.co.uk/woolwichspeaks for more information and to access the map and film #WoolwichSpeaks

In photo from L to R: Divine Mankumbani, Rasheeda Page-Muir (Poet), Cllr Denise Scott-McDonald (Deputy Leader of Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Good Growth), Cllr Danny Thorpe (Leader of Council), Marcelo Sánchez-Camus (Artist), Melissa Cupernall, Joe Watkins, Fawazat Adeyemo