A MAN read his own poetry at a teachers strike in Witney to show his solidarity with the strikers.
Owen Collins is part of a group called Poetry on the Picket Lines, which is a squad of like-minded poets who show up to picket lines to read poetry and to offer moral support and solidarity.
The group has been going for about seven years and has helped keep spirits up on hundreds of picket lines in that time, as well as raising money for strike funds through various gigs and the sale of a poetry book.
(The video was shared to the Oxford Mail by Ruth Smith)
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Mr Collins, at theNEU picket at Wood Green, Witney, said: “This morning I read a couple of my own poems, and one from another poet, Khadija Rouf, who couldn’t be there herself.
“The poems tend to be on theme - about the importance of solidarity, for example - but not always, they can just be entertaining pieces to raise a smile and make standing on a picket line in all weathers a more enjoyable experience.”
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This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.
Gee covers Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford and Wantage.
Get in touch with her by emailing: gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @geeharland
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