Play on Words Writers' Day 2026 - St Barbe Museum
About this Event
Join ArtfulScribe, St Barbe and partners for a day of workshops and community for writers at St Barbe Museum on 1 November as part of the Play on Words Festival, taking place from the 22 Oct to the 3 Nov 2025.
This year we're focusing on community and the power of making things happen together.
Workshops are as follows, please see the agenda at the bottom of the page for speakers and full details:
10:30am - 12:30pm - Facilitation for Writers (workshop)
1:30 - 3pm - Finding Writing Communities (panel discussion)
3:30 - 5pm - Funding Routes for Writers (talk)
Day time sessions will be followed by a Local Writer Showcase in the evening at 7pm, bookable separately - please click here for tickets, or go to the google form to express your interest in taking part.
You can find all our events and activities taking place across the New Forest at www.playonwords.org.uk.
A bit about our tickets
All sessions are bookable individually or are included in an all sessions ticket. To keep our work accessible, you have two options for individual tickets: pay a standard price, or decide on your own ticket price. You can pay more to support other writers and Play on Words, or whatever you're able to contribute if for any reason you can't afford it otherwise. Or you're coming for the day you can keep it simple and buy the standard All Sessions ticket. Everyone gets the same experience.
ArtfulScribe C.I.C. is a Community Interest Company which means we work for public benefit. All proceeds from this event go towards the costs of running the Play on Words Festival, which is supported by Culture in Common and using public money by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
The venue
Located at the heart of the beautiful, historic coastal market town of Lymington, St Barbe is both a dynamic local history museum and highly regarded art gallery.
The venue is 5 minutes walk from Lymington Town railway station, and has bike racks at the side of the building through the gates off Old School Lane. A transport guide including bus map is available here: https://documents.hants.gov.uk/passenger-transport/newforest-travelguide.pdf.
If coming by vehicle, up to three hours parking is available at the Pay and Display in Emsworth Road, with accessible parking close to the museum, but if you're with us for the whole day follow Emsworth Road round to Barfields Car Park for long stay parking.
Access
St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery has ramp access to the side of the building for wheelchairs. Please call 01590 676969 to discuss your individual needs and St Barbe will be happy to help.
For more information visit: https://www.stbarbe-museum.org.uk/visit/getting-here/
Agenda
🕑: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Facilitation for Writers (workshop)
Host: Matt West
Info: Do you have skills and experience as a writer that you want to share and don’t know where to start or an idea for a community writing group you’d like to get off the ground? Join ArtfulScribe’s founder and artistic director for tips, ideas, and approaches towards facilitating creative writing groups and workshops to enrich and uplift everyday people in a variety of community sessions.
🕑: 01:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Finding Writing Communities (panel discussion)
Host: Bridget Floyer
Info: Writing is often thought of as a solitary pursuit but finding and building communities can be core to sustaining your writing practice: whether it's about being part of a group of peers who provide mutual support; building partnerships or finding a readership, or helping others to discover their own voices. With Adam Singfield, lead for the New Forest Writers Group, now celebrating their 20th year, and writer and community facilitator Adeola Sheehy, ArtfulScribe explores the ways in which writing is all about people and communities.
🕑: 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM
Funding Routes for Writers (talk)
Host: Matt West
Info: Seeking funding for research and development time, your own writing, or a project which will benefit local communities through reading, writing and literature? Join ArtfulScribe and Laura Bullivant, Cultural Development Manager at Hampshire Cultural Trust, to discuss how to build a project, partnership funding and grants, including Arts Council applications and opportunities specifically for New Forest creatives. The session will include a talk and Q&A.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00 to GBP 30.00
