Poetry Together – Winners Aged Nine and Ninety-Two Meet The Queen

Poetry Together is a simple but powerful idea; to bring young people and old people together through the joy of poetry. It was started by writer, broadcaster and poetry-lover Gyles Brandreth in 2019 who was inspired by research that proved learning poetry by heart has beneficial effects on cognitive function for young and old alike. Throw in the support of Dukes Education and the patronage of Queen Camilla, and you’ve got a recipe for something really exciting.

And that’s exactly what happened. On Thursday 21st November, The Queen was reportedly delighted to receive Colin Hinton, 92 and Avi Goel, nine, at Buckingham Palace to hear their Poetry Together competition winning poems. They were introduced by Poetry Together’s founder, Gyles Brandreth, and also joined by Aatif Hassan, Chairman and Founder of Dukes Education. Dukes Education is the organisation that runs Poetry Together in partnership with Brandreth.

Colin and Avi met last year when Avi’s School, Buckingham Primary School took part in the Poetry Together Project. His class wrote their own poems based on last year’s theme of ‘happiness’ and connected with their local care home, Clarendon House Care Home, where Colin was staying at the time. They shared their poems at a Poetry Together tea party. This, really, is the heart of Poetry Together – ‘There is something quite special about people from two ends of the generational spectrum, connecting and having a chat over a cup of tea,’ says Brandreth. ‘It is a wonderful way to bring communities closer together.’

Another focus of this collaboration between Brandreth and Dukes Education is the importance of literacy. Following a recent report by the National Literacy Trust which noted a decline in children reading for pleasure at home, Jonathan Douglas, the charity’s Chief Executive commented that ‘the futures of a generation are at risk’. Promoting the benefits of literacy is a cause the Queen, Gyles and Dukes Education are all deeply passionate about – there’s really little surprise that they’d all come together to start initiatives such as Poetry Together.

The Benefits of Poetry

Readers might be surprised to find out that the reading, writing and memorising of poetry offers a great deal of tangible scientific benefits to the human mind.

Studies have shown that learning poetry by heart improves performance academically at school, improving concentration, and even supporting better sleep. On the flip side, evidence shows that learning poetry by heart can help older people lead a happier and more successful life. It improves the ability to communicate, improves memory, increases brain capacity and can even help keep dementia at bay.

The Visit To The Palace

Her Majesty talked with Colin and Avi about their Poetry Together experience before listening to them perform their poems. Colin commented, ‘I was struck by how gracious Queen Camilla was, she made sure everyone felt special.’ Avi echoed Colin’s sentiment. ‘It’s been the best day,’ he said. ‘Queen Camilla was so warm and welcoming.’

Readers curious regarding the quality of royal cuisine may also be interested to know that Avi was quick to stress that ‘the biscuits were really good.’

The Poems

Avi’s poem (8 at the time of writing):

Happiness is one of a kind
Happiness is easy to find
With your loved ones or when you’re having a good time
You should always know happiness is deep inside

Happiness is scattered everywhere
Like atoms flying in the air
Happiness can make your life better
Happiness brings people together

Even if you feel sad and lonely
Just look deep inside your heart
Happiness is always looking for somewhere new to start

Colin’s poem:

Happiness for me is my aim
Happiness for all others is my aim
This is what I will endeavour to attain
With all the thoughts within my brain

To all my family, I wish happiness
To all my friends, I wish happiness
To others I meet today, I wish happiness
To the whole world, I wish happiness

For this I will endeavour to do my best
To spread happiness from East to West
I will always smile, laugh and jest
So that all that meet me will feel at rest