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No. 12 @ Wellies And Words Haigh Hall Wigan
Sunday 8th September 2024  

As we drove into the grounds it looked really ominous for a Sunday.
I half expected to see Inspector Morse saying "Can’t go in lads there’s been a murder. A squirrel has battered a bird over the head in the early hours with the secret stash of nuts." But that didn’t happen and I was just really buzzing about doing the Wigan gig and it being my local gig of the little tour if the weather improved or not nothing would spoil it. There’s only one final gig after this in Derby so it was satisfying that despite feeling a bit tired now, I'd lasted well, and even in the disappointing inaccessibility of London I'd managed, had a laugh, and given the best account of myself. Initially I'd worried that maybe my accent would be that strong and need a translator, perhaps I'd get the wrong balance of poems in the set or maybe I'd be a bit overwhelmed but, all that was unfounded and worked out well. As the tour has gone on, performing has became more and more comfortable to me and with the one gig left, overall I'm grateful for those people who have supported me and provided the opportunities I've been given so far.

I don’t think I expected every gig and venue to feel so different which might sound stupid but every place I’ve performed the poems in has had its own unique vibe and Haigh Hall is the same in that respect. It has amazing scenery, being a woodland country park that covers a fairly large area but, because of the nature of it having bumpy, uneven inaccessible paths etc. It's only up until very recently that I’ve been to Haigh Hall regularly and began to really appreciate it because of changes to it's access. Before then I'd just thought of it as being off limits to me and had probably only been to Haigh Hall maybe once or twice in my 41 years despite it being on my own doorstep. I’m happy to say that this hopefully is slowly changing and myself and others were involved as a bit of a guinea-pig to help develop more accessible trails. I think people take for granted that they have this space to switch off and get away from the world, and I supposed that was something I'd hoped to highlight through the tour. Disability often doesn’t have these options and is frozen out of conversations to get changes. The tour has not only been about doing a gig or getting to that gig but all those situations that pop up as stressors in everyday living as well.

Haigh hall with the paths aside I think is a great place to visit and to perform at and it always makes me feel relaxed and calmer in those surroundings. It has a number of accessible toilets, a food court yard, and always a lot of interesting events going on.
The rain was really bucketing down and it looked misty so I was relieved to see my mate Ste Unsworth who supported me at Kendal and took up on his offer of a lift. I'd never pass up a chance either to go in the Disabled A-Team van again. It was a really nice gesture. On a practical note I'd have ended up looking like a drowned Roland Rat too as I struggle to drive the chair and hold an umbrella at the same time.
The Words and Wellies gig at Haigh hall is split into two parts usually: a workshop beforehand starting about 1pm followed by the open mic that is open for anyone to have a go at, with a guest poet put on at the end. It's not compulsory to attend the workshop and people can just choose to come to the open mic later if they want but I do really enjoy the workshop on the occasions I’ve joined in cos to me it's never full on and I like thinking in a short space of time I’ll probably learn something new or maybe even get a poem from the session for the open mic afterwards. The workshop and open mic are a recurring monthly event and this time local writer and friend JulieMcKiernan led one all about a few of the halls grand looking houses and the stories of its past occupants. It was really interesting to find out about how two people with contrasting fortunes could end up at the hall. I didn’t know anything about the history surrounding the hall or its buildings and I usually end up thinking my town's going to the dogs so, it was great to hear the stories of it in a different light and the element of grandeur.

On to the open mic itself. It was lovely as I’m used to reading there, so people who’ve seen me perform there know me and are mostly friends except if a newbie comes to watch or perform. I enjoyed it. I didn’t feel any pressure. It was just a pleasure to listen to other people's thoughts, to watch familiar faces do well and satisfying to share a bit about how the tour had gone in-between my set. As it was Haigh Hall I changed a couple of poems to talk about routines, Haigh Hall and my little cat Minnie. It really helped me keep a better balance. Regular host of the event Louise Fazackerly was ill and a missed presence but I thought Maria Byrne did a great effort and it took a lot of bottle to step in and compare at short notice.
Overall I was really pleased with how all it went and a fitting way to go into the last gig and wrap everything up. I'd say Haigh Hall and the Wellies and Words event is a fantastic one to try. It doesn’t matter whether your just watching, an established performer or a newcomer, you’ll be welcomed and it's so chilled and friendly. Of course, with it being my home town, another little bonus for me was being able to be home straight afterwards, have my tea, see the cat earlier and tell her again Daddies smashed it!

Photos Credit @ Ste Unsworth/ Jack Unsworth