University Centre Peterborough Celebrates Hosting Syntax Poet Laureate Event 

University Centre Peterborough was proud to host a recent Syntax Poet Laureate event, welcoming students, staff and members of the local community for an inspiring evening of live performance and spoken word. The event showcased the power of poetry as a platform for storytelling, creativity and social reflection.

The evening culminated in Hilary Steele being named Peterborough Poet Laureate 2026, a moment she described as “exciting and moving”. Hilary said she felt “overjoyed and proud” to take on the civic role and is looking forward to building on the work of previous laureates.

Hilary, who has worked extensively in local education, runs Peterborough Stanza and works at The John Clare Cottage in Helpston, impressed judges with strong ideas for her year as laureate and her winning poem ‘Gildenburgh’, one of Peterborough’s former names. Rich in heritage and optimism, the poem celebrates what Peterborough means to Hilary and its wider community.

Hosting the event reflects University Centre Peterborough’s ongoing commitment to supporting the arts and providing opportunities for students and the wider community to engage with high-quality cultural experiences on campus. This commitment is further strengthened by the launch of a new MA in Creative Writing, starting in September 2026, which will support and nurture emerging writers while strengthening links between education and the local creative scene.

University Centre Peterborough would like to extend its thanks to Syntax Poetry for partnering with us and for choosing University Centre Peterborough as the host venue for this special event. Their continued work in championing spoken word and creating accessible platforms for poets is invaluable to the cultural life of Peterborough.

The event also offered students the opportunity to experience live poetry in a professional setting, complementing learning across creative, arts and humanities subjects while highlighting the importance of creative industries within the region.

Throughout the year Hilary will bring new aims to the role that she wishes to achieve, but she will also work to make poetry even more part of the life of the city, chronicling special events and celebrating the poetry community. In addition, Hilary can be commissioned to write poems by any number of partners and organisations across the city. It’s going to be a very inspiring year for Hilary and it’s going to be exciting to see what the new Peterborough Poet Laureate brings in 2026.

University Centre Peterborough looks forward to welcoming more creative events to campus in the future and continuing its collaboration with organisations that celebrate talent, creativity and community engagement.