Outside the Box (OTB) joined the UK’s biggest poetry and performance festival recently hosted by the BBC in Bradford as part of the 2025 City of Culture celebrations.
The OTB Beyond Words Group, with partners People First, Exclusively Inclusive and Word Up North, showcased their powerful and personal work at Bradford City Library with an audience of families, peers and festival-goers.
The event was the culmination of the OTB Beyond Words programme, a series of inclusive workshops run across the last 6 months, led by Chris Singleton, a local ADHD poet and playwright and Artistic Director of Brave Words. The workshops inspired OTB members, all adults with a learning disability and/or autism, to discover their voices, tell their stories and explore their imaginations through poetry and performance, offering a safe, supportive space for self-expression.
OTB Member, Emily Moorhouse has said about the experience:
“I enjoyed reading my poetry, standing up and sharing my childhood memories from when I was a non-verbal little girl. Working in the OTB café and taking part in Beyond Words has made me feel confident and able to tell people who I am."
“One OTB parent attending the event reflected, “What an evening we had! Joyous and funny, but also incredibly moving. Chris' wonderful support has clearly given our son not only a voice, but also the confidence and ability to use poetry to communicate about issues and feelings he usually internalises. This was really powerful.”
OTB Support Worker Kate Lofthouse said:
“Members worked incredibly hard, and with Chris’ expert guidance and enthusiasm, it was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they prepared for their performance. On the night they overcame their nerves and performed brilliantly, their poems were fantastic, offering a wonderful insight into their lives, views and imagination.”
The collaboration highlighted the importance of inclusive arts opportunities, celebrating the creativity of people too often excluded from mainstream cultural events.
Chris Singleton, the project lead, said:
“Word Out was a celebration of courage and creativity. Members shared work that was personal, funny and full of heart. It was a privilege to see their confidence grow and their words light up the room, a powerful reminder of what happens when everyone is given the space to share their story.”
The BBC Contains Strong Language Festival is an annual celebration of poetry, performance and the spoken word and came to Bradford for the first time as part of the City of Culture 2025, bringing together local voices and internationally acclaimed artists.
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