Last year I was delighted to be invited by Buckinghamshire Culture to get involved in their Village Stories project. As well as commissioning a photographer and a choreographer to take photographs of the people from three Buckinghamshire villages, three writers were asked to work with the villagers on writing projects. I was given the village of Burnham, near Slough, and during a week in September 2024, I delivered three flash fiction workshops to community groups, and one open session in Burnham Library.

I took photographs of the village and handed these out as inspiration for the pieces of writing that were created by Slough Writers (a group which meets in Burnham), Men in Sheds, Burnham Grammar, and the library session. And I was amazed and delighted by the pieces which were produced.

In addition, I was commissioned to write two pieces of flash fiction – also inspired by the photos I took, and these, together with the villages photos and the work by the other writers were produced in a booklet.

In November we had a celebratory evening in Burnham where the village photographs – inspired by Bruegel, were unveiled, and several people who had attended my flash fiction workshops came along and were brave enough to read out their pieces.

It was a wonderful project to be a part of.

If you’re interested in me collaborating with anything similar, please get in touch.