Gathering Dust- an exhibition of assemblages and poems by John Bilsborough aka The Funny Poet

Name: Gathering Dust- an exhibition of assemblages and poems by John Bilsborough aka The Funny Poet
Start: 2026-03-05T17:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-03-05T19:00:00+00:00
Location: Exchange Street, BB1 7JN Blackburn, United Kingdom

Schedule

Thu Mar 05 2026 at 05:00 pm to 07:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

Exchange Street, BB1 7JN Blackburn, United Kingdom | Blackburn, EN

This exhibition is a collection of assemblages- sculptures made from found materials- and poems- by John Bilsborough aka The Funny Poet.
Works include ' Souvenirs from Space', ' Las Meninas' (various versions), 'The Artist and his Model' and some unidentified works.
John grew up in Bolton Le Sands in Lancashire and came to Blackburn in the 60s. He worked in the carpet factory at Bank Top Mill, mostly writing poetry on the night shift. In the 70s he trained as a teacher, but many older people will know him from his days at BBC Radio Blackburn, when he was on the air often with his verse.
This led to a spot on Radio 4’s Saturday PM where he would put current news stories in their proper, slightly silly perspective - a strike at a baked bean factory; a story about a haunted house. All sorts.
Then he went to Wales to help reinvigorate a derelict estate bought as a Trust by people like him looking for the good life. And there he was living the good life and making people laugh with his funny poems until his death late last year.
John's last exhibition in Blackburn before he moved to Wales was in the old Lewis Textile Museum- this very building- so it seems fitting to hold this exhibition here, before the works are distributed to his friends and family.