Group members:
Pete Belcher:
Pete was born at some point in the last century, much to everyone's surprise, and later educated at any establishment that would take him, finding a natural aptitude for barely getting by. When, after what seemed like a lifetime spent in further education, it became obvious that books and records wouldn't buy themselves he became what was then seen as a bit of a rarity, an employee who actually enjoyed his job. A mug by profession, he spent an inordinately silly amount of time drinking coffee and talking rubbish to any who would listen, and many who wouldn't. He now lives in deepest, darkest rural Somerset with his wife and two children and an ever evolving menagerie of pets in a world of his own. He took up writing short stories ten years ago because there didn’t seem to be the kind of story out there that he wanted to read, and continues to do so because it’s cheaper than therapy.
Norman Povey:
Hi, I'm Norman Povey, Pontypridd born in 1944 - I know it's long ago (I'm the only 'Ponty Boy' who's never met Tom Jones). I served Queen and Country, man and boy, for 19 years from 1960, i.e. drank lots of beer in RAF NAFFI's home and abroad. The next 28 years were spent driving round the West Country admiring the views and eating pasties, occasionally servicing medical equipment and then repairing said servicings. I became redundant due to digitalisation and, knowing big words like that, marmalade and corrugated (Old Welsh rugby joke) I joined Twyford Writers. The rest as they say is history, or poetry, or fiction, or . . .
Julie Hubbard:
Hello, my name is Julie Hubbard, I was born in jolly old Tiverton on St. Swithin's day 1963 and yes it was raining. I live with my long suffering husband and two teenage daughters in total chaos and bewilderment. Death metal belting out from one room and R & B from another. In the middle, I try to write great masterpieces, I have not succeeded yet but like the poor deluded fool I am, I keep on trying and dreaming. I dally in poetry from time to time, being inspired by the country rambles I take with my dog Duke. I love all things mythical and mystical, so basically I spend much of my time with my head firmly ensconced in the clouds!
Tony Harvey:
I have had a lifelong interest in writing. When I was a small child at school I wrote a few poems and stories which were commented on favourably by the teachers; that was all I needed to sustain my interest. It is fair to say that until I joined the group in 2006 I hadn’t done a great body of work, just a few short stories and lots of notes and ideas for more. But since the very first meeting I have had my writing ‘muse’ woken up and I now have an ever expanding portfolio of work. I would advise anyone who is struggling to write, or ‘getting round to it’, to join a group. I write characters and allow them to explore the plot, quite often the story I originally thought I was writing is changed as the characters move through the landscape.
Alice Ford:
Why I took to writing - with advancing years and creaking joints I needed a sitting down hobby. Writing is perfect. You can go anywhere, do impossible things, weave tiny snippets of your past into a world you'd never believe, let alone recognise. It's magic. I like it.
Katya Karnachova:
After being born in Moscow, surviving Siberian winters, soaking in the Baltic Sea and sand most of the summers and living in the country most people on this island haven’t even heard of, for reasons beyond me I had to exchange my gran’s fabulous cooking for cups of tea with milk (you weird people!). Since the age of four I surrounded myself with books and had a dream of being a proper writer from the age 14. Why a writer? Because I find spending time up in the clouds sometimes to be more entertaining than real life.
Elizabeth Evans:
Born in a small, Cheshire village, I grew up enjoying an idyllic childhood, wandering down lanes, making dens and relishing precious freedoms. Memories of my first school, sitting round an old coke boiler, drinking cocoa on a bitter winter's morning, are as vivid today as ever. I never really left school, going straight to college in London, and from there, moving to my now beloved West country, where I live with my partner and quite a few animals. I made myself a number of promises to keep in retirement: amongst them, to learn to spin wool, to create a garden and to write. I'm still waiting to retire ...but I've made a start at keeping my promises!
