It was a delight and a privilege to welcome poet Adam Horovitz to The NASH for our first ever Swaledale Festival event. Horovitz spoke about his fruitful appointment as poet in residence for the Pasture-fed Livestock Association, for which he has visited four Pasture for Life farms over the course of four seasons including one in the Yorkshire Dales. He told tales of his visits to these farms – all of which have made a commitment to raising ruminant animals wholly on pasture with a holistic, nurturing approach to farming, and read poems from his beautiful book The Soil Never Sleeps. Horovitz has a background in performance poetry and read with clarity and poise; it was mesmerising to listen to his voice against the fitting backdrop of noises coming through the open door – birds tweeting, sheep baah-ing, the rush of Gayle Beck and the whir of distant tractors.
Swaledale Festival bought many new faces to The NASH. We loved seeing the audience enjoying tea and biscuits in the beck-side garden and overhearing their appreciative comments – thank you Swaledale Festival.