Hilarious and great time yesterday with Year 8 pupils at one of my favourite schools in Calderdale, Holy Trinity High School. It all started when a girl from my workshop group came into the classroom at the beginning of the day and asked me in all seriousness if my name was Bob. Apparently I look as if I’m called Bob. Often bald people are called Bob. Apparently. The logic was hard for me to see.

The joke re-surfaced very now and again throughout a day of really hard work and creativity when each of the youngsters produced two poems of high quality and read them in performance at the end of the session. Their dedication to the editing and re-drafting stages of writing led to some fine poetry, as did their understanding that planning and thinking have an important place alongside inspiration..

I caught my train back to Leeds a tired, but very happy, Bob.