Lockdown was the catalyst to inspire another poetry book for a renowned Ulverston author.

Neil Curry, known for his previous work On Keeping Company with Virginia Woolf, has penned 14 short poems compiled in the book A Northumbrian Book of Hours which takes inspiration from St Cuthbert and his time on Holy Island of Lindisfarne, just off the North East coast.

“It is a journey through time and space, and it follows St Cuthbert and his journey from place to place,” the father-of-two said.

“Lindisfarne really is an atmospheric place and I loved being there, particularly when the tide comes in and the island is cut off. An absolutely beautiful, sensuous place.”

The poems not only cover St Cuthbert’s travels but the Viking raid as he intertwines the three different timelines: the history of Lindisfarne, the canonical hours, and the passing of the seasons.

Mr Curry enjoyed his time so much in his small cottage on the island that he has decided he wants his ashes scattered there.

“In a way of course for writers, lockdown has not been so awful as we tend to be sitting by ourselves on our backside all day, but we have that link with Cuthbert being by himself and me being by myself,” he added.

The poems are prose poems which are poems written in sentences. They appear as a block of text without line breaks.

Mr Curry explained that writing this way was a new challenge for him as it was something he had never done before, but with this being his 21st publication, he has a wealth of experience in writing and managed to surge through the mental blocks.

The book can be bought on wayleavepress.co.uk and Mr Curry is hoping to have some copies in Sutton’s Bookshop in Ulverston available soon as well.