Tony Walsh, one of the UK’s most renowned poets has been revealed as the special guest host for an afternoon of live poetry to celebrate Rochdale’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.
As well as Tony Walsh and Rochdale’s Poet Laureate Sammy Weaver, alongside young poets in residence Alende Amisi and Sasha Mostafa, the event at Number One Riverside on Saturday, 21 March 2026 will showcase talented poets who have helped shape the town’s year in the spotlight.
It will also mark the launch of a poetry anthology titled ‘Weaving Words’ – a 120 page collection featuring over 80 poems written by local people.
Tony Walsh, or ‘Longfella’ as he is also known, is quite literally a giant of the performance poetry scene. A regular on television and radio, he’s known for his powerful and accessible poetry with his work published internationally. His acclaimed live appearances including numerous performances in Rochdale over the years are renowned for his characteristic mix of comedy and tragedy.
Over the past year Sammy Weaver has been capturing the spirit of the borough in words, raising awareness of poetry and helping encourage everyone to try it.
She’s led writing workshops with 20 schools in libraries and hosted another 10 workshops with the borough’s residents, with lots of the poems created finding their way into the new book, capturing the uniqueness of the borough, celebrating local people and places.
The poems draw on Rochdale’s rich co-operative history as a source of inspiration. Over 650 of the borough’s young people have also taken part in poetry workshops, with many of their poems featuring in a children’s edition of the anthology called ‘Poems to change the world’ also being launched at the event.
