People in Mansfield are being encouraged to enter a poetry competition that could see their words immortalised in a mural on the back of the town’s Old Town Hall.
The Writing on the Wall competition is open for entries until 30 April and is part of an architectural heritage project that will see repairs to the Old Town Hall and two of its shop units.
Anyone from, near or with links to Mansfield can enter the competition. The poems must be based on, or inspired by, the words of contemplation that appear in the Memorial Garden behind the Old Town Hall: Community, Hope, Inspiration, Kindness, Courage, Reflect, Strength, Support, Respect and Proud.
The results announced on Friday 8 May 2026. The winning poems will inspire an artwork to be created on the rear wall of the Old Town Hall, as a legacy of Mansfield Townscape Heritage Project.
The £1.3m project was set up in 2018 and has part-funded architectural improvements to 11 privately owned properties in the town centre.
It had been due to end in December but the project is now being extended until mid-summer thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund which has agreed to earmark £200,000 that had remained unallocated, despite engagement with private property owners across the eligible area, to enable architectural enhancements to be made to the Old Town Hall.
They will focus on restoring two shopfronts on the side of the Old Town Hall in Queen’s Walk. The facades of the shops were originally designed by the renowned local architect Watson Fothergill with ornate stonework. They were altered in the 1960s which resulted many original architectural features being removed or concealed.
There will also be repairs using traditional lime render to the uneven stonework to the rear of the Grade 2* listed building and a poetry/mural wall will be added to the wall as a visually appealing and respectful backdrop to the Memorial Garden.
The cost of extending the project is expected to around use £201,700 remaining in Heritage Project funds and £90,000 from the council’s allocation from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Skills Stuart Richardson said: “This scheme will transform the backdrop to the Memorial Garden and showcase work by a renowned local architect Watson Fothergill, who was from Mansfield.
“Fothergill was known for his distinctive style and designed over 100 buildings in Gothic Revival and English vernacular styles. It will be wonderful to see his work back in the heart of the town where he was born.
“I am also looking forward to seeing the poetry mural. Along with the work to celebrate Watson Fothergill, the artwork will be a marvellous lasting legacy from this Townscape Heritage programme and a great tribute to the wealth of creative talent in this district.”
The poetry competition results will be announced on Friday 8 May 2026 and will be judged by Poet Laureate for Mansfield Richard C. Bower who said: “Poetry gives a voice to the quiet places within us and a stage to the stories that shape our communities.
“I am honoured to serve as judge for this competition and look forward to discovering the depth, honesty, and imagination that Mansfield’s writers will bring to the page.”
The winner will receive a £100 Amazon voucher with a £50 voucher going to the first runner-up and a £30 voucher going to the second runner-up.
Other prizes include a printed book of shortlisted poems, a signed copy of Richard C. Bower’s book Introspective Soliloquies. Elements of the poems will also be included in an artwork on the rear wall of Mansfield’s Old Town Hall
About the poetry competition
- It is open to people aged 16 and over who are from or live near Mansfield or have links to the town.
- Entries must be typed in Arial or Times New Roman, 12pt, black, in English and be between 100 and 300 words.
- They should be emailed to the Regeneration team (link opens in email app) by 30 April, attached to the email as an MS Word document or pdf, with the title of the poem as the document name. The document must not include the author’s name because entries are being judged anonymously. The subject line of the email should be POETRY COMPETITION and the body of the email should contain the entrant’s name, postcode, and telephone number.
Leaflets for the competition can be found at Mansfield Museum, Central Library, Bus Station, and Toffee Hut Coffee Shops, or a PDF version can be requested by emailing the Regeneration team (link opens in email app).
Poetry workshops
Two free poetry workshops are being held at Mansfield Palace Theatre which could help anyone thinking of entering the competition.
Writing Performance Poetry is on Thursday 19 March, 6pm to 8pm, when poet and performer Leanne Moden aims to inspire beginners and those looking to polish their performance skills. Find out more at: Writing Performance Poetry Workshop – Mansfield Palace Theatre (link opens in new window).
Poetry Competition Workshop is on Tuesday 14 April, from 6pm to 8pm when poet Leanne Moden will use fun and practical activities to explore writing poems on the themes of community, hope, inspiration, kindness, courage, reflection, strength, support, pride and respect.
There will be a guest appearance and readings by Richard C. Bower. This session is suitable for beginners and those wanting to enter their poetry into the competition. Find out more at: Poetry Competition Workshop with Special Guest Appearance from Richard C Bower, Mansfield’s Poet Laureate – Mansfield Palace Theatre (link opens in new window).
