A Romsey group has received a county council grant to help them give budding performance poets an easy start.

Jam not Slam is the title of the project run by the Teapoet Collective based at Rum’s Eg gallery, which has received a Culture and Community Activities Grant worth £956.

Syd Meats, who co-founded the collective with Cat Randle, said: “We are trying to encourage more people in the area to write poetry and to encourage those who are writing already to perform.

“Poetry Slams are popular but they often take place in noisy bars and the atmosphere is quite competitive, so they are not for everyone. We are offering a more relaxed atmosphere in a cafe type environment.”

The Teapoets meet monthly on a Sunday afternoon and usually have one guest poet plus a musical interlude.

The next gathering is this Sunday (October 12) when Graham Brown will be the first overseas guest at the Bell Street venue – he lives on the Isle of Wight. He has published collections of work including We Will Be Dancers. Titles such as The Da Vinci Ode and Cereal Killer give some idea of his sense of humour.

Open spots will be available for audience members to read their own poetry.

Music will be provided by Fragile Lucy, a talented singer-songwriter and ukulele player. Doors will open at 1.30pm, and tickets, priced at £5, will be available on the door.

Find out more about the Teapoet Collective on their Facebook page or email info@teapoets.org.uk.