Our Organisers
Gyles Brandreth
Gyles Brandreth has enjoyed learning poems by heart since he was nine when, at his local church, he performed ‘Macavity the Mystery Cat’ to its author, T S Eliot, who was 70 at the time.
In 2018, Gyles made a radio programme about the value of learning poetry by heart featuring research that showed how learning and speaking poetry benefits everyone – especially younger people and older people. The programme inspired the Poetry Together project.
Gyles still learns poetry by heart – and encourages his three children and seven grandchildren to do the same. He is President of the Oscar Wilde Society, an author, broadcaster, former MP, and now Chancellor of the University of Chester, probably best known as a reporter on The One Show on BBC1 and a regular on Just A Minute on Radio 4.
Dukes Education
The team at Dukes Education organises the Poetry Together project. Dukes is a family of schools and education organisations based in the UK. We are always looking for ways to bring communities together, and to support young people in engaging with their academic studies creatively. To find out more about Dukes Education, please visit our website.
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