A Tipton St John-based international reforestation charity has launched a monthly poetry and spoken word event.

Word Forest, with founders Tracey and Simon West, will hold it at the Leigh Brown Room at the Unitarian Hall in Sidmouth.

Mr West said: "Wordplay will give poets and writers of prose a chance to perform their work with a microphone, perhaps for the first time, in front of an appreciative audience.

"It's always fascinating listening to pieces performed by their creators in the way they envisioned they would be.

"The South West is teeming with talent and I can't wait to open the doors to let the wordy magic happen!"

Sidmouth Herald: Simon West at Word ForestSimon West at Word Forest (Image: Word Forest)

The pair ran a similar event in Lyme Regis named Vittles and Verse, anticipating that Wordplay will be an equal success.

The first event is slated for April 20, and will repeat on every third Saturday of the subsequent months.

To catch the word magic, attendees are requested to arrive by 6.30pm, as the event begins promptly at 7pm.

Admission is priced at £4 on the door and includes a light beverage.

Additional plant-based snacks and refreshments will be available for purchase.

Sidmouth Herald: Word Forest will hold it at the Leigh Brown Room at the Unitarian Hall in Sidmouth

Apart from a social and literature-focused affair, Wordplay will also serve as a fundraising initiative.

The proceeds generated beyond hall hire cost will aid in planting fast-growing trees in Kenya, which can grow up to 10 times faster than in UK.

Mr West said that the trees could absorb a quarter tonne of CO2 within five years, providing a tangible solution to global warming and hunger issues.

Mrs West said: "Wordplay will deliver an entertaining evening and the participants will create a pioneering opportunity to slow global heating and extreme weather events.

"This is great news because there are worrying meteorological times ahead."

She emphasised the importance of banding together for change, quoting special scientific advisor professor Bill McGuire's statement of replacing hopelessness with hope, and inertia with action.

To find out more or to participate, visit WordForest.org/wordplay.