Lancaster Litfest announces the three best entries for their 'walking solo' podcast project

In March Litfest had to cancel its 2020 festival due to Covid-19.
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Happily, Lifest was awarded an Arts Council England emergency grant which allowed them to commission three digital projects over the summer.

The first was ‘Walking Solo’, two lockdown podcasts by local writers Polly Atkin and Jenn Ashworth.

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Litfest then issued an invitation to everyone in the region to submit their own podcast with the result that they received a really terrific set of high-quality submissions.

Mary Ainsworth did one of the best three podcasts on the theme of ‘walking solo’ in lockdown for Lancaster Litfest.Mary Ainsworth did one of the best three podcasts on the theme of ‘walking solo’ in lockdown for Lancaster Litfest.
Mary Ainsworth did one of the best three podcasts on the theme of ‘walking solo’ in lockdown for Lancaster Litfest.

Today they are proud to announce that in the opinion of the judges the best three podcasts on the theme of ‘walking solo’ in lockdown are, in alphabetical order:

 ‘Williamson Park – My Exercise Yard’ by Mary Ainsworth

 ‘The Magic Cattlegrid’ by Loren Cafferty

 ‘Borrowdale Walk’ by Tara Vallente

Williamson Park in Lancaster.Williamson Park in Lancaster.
Williamson Park in Lancaster.

All three podcasts will all be available as free downloads on the Litfest website on September 24.

Go to: https://litfest.org/walking-solo.

The project is run by Litfest, the Lancaster and District Festival.

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The judges were: Jennifer Dobson (until recently Manager of Waterstones, King Street, Lancaster), Karen Lloyd (Award-winning writer and environmental activist) and Beth Pipe (aka ‘The Cumbrian Rambler’).

Mary Ainsworth’s ‘Williamson Park: My Exercise Yard for One Unforgettable Spring’ describes a walk in memory and imagination in Williamson Park. Karen Lloyd said: "I really like how

she maps her own life and experiences onto the literary world, and I particularly like phrases like; “I pocketed that thought and kept it with me, hearing it rattle in my memory…”

Loren Cafferty’s ‘The Magic Cattlegrid’ takes us into the Trough of Bowland starting at Wray and arriving, after a moorland walk, at the magic cattle grid, a natural portal into the land beyond. Beth Pipe said: "I loved how natural Cafferty sounded and the personal journey with the magic cattle grid and the slipped discs."

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Tara Vallente ‘Borrowdale Valley’ accompanies the listener on a walk down Borrowdale Valley, and makes use of simple sound effects to create an authentic sense of place. Jen Dobson said: ‘I particularly liked Tara Vallente’s podcast. I identified with it strongly, enjoying the great feeling of space it gave me.’

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