One man’s collection of poems celebrating Leamington and Lillington will be published in support of a local charity next week.

Matt Black’s collection In Our Town has four sections - Lilla’s Song, which explores Lillington past and present, Go Eco, which celebrates local green spaces and green activism, Coffee-Shop Town, which celebrates Leamington and its unique and quirky sense of identity and diverse people, and Party Town, a celebration of The Civil Defence Camouflage Establishment (later known as the Camouflage Directorate) which was based in Leamington in the Second World War.

All proceeds from the book will go to Leamington-based women's support charity The Esther Project.

The book consists of poems written over the last ten years and weaves together Leamington and Lillington history, characters and events, and the work of local groups, with plenty of wit and humour.

In Our Towns by Matt Black. Pictures supplied.

placeholder image — In Our Towns by Matt Black. Pictures supplied.

The poems are inspired by a wide range of subjects including Oliver Cromwell’s visit to Lillington, Leamington coffee-shops, Leamington brickworks, Crown Way’s current shops, Tony “Banger” Walsh, who grew up in Lillington and became a famous ITV wrestler, fighting Big Daddy over 600 times, as well as numerous other subjects.

It also includes historical photographs, contemporary photographs and specially commissioned cartoons by Jackie Prachek.

Matt said: “In Our Town is a celebration of the uniqueness of Lillington and Leamington.

"I’ve lived in Leamington for only 15 years, and I love all the activism in the town, but I’ve also loved slowly learning the quiet history that lies below the surface that has gone into making us the people and the town that we are.

"I wanted to bring the past and the present together.

“The book aims to be a piece of entertainment that celebrates our specialness, as well as the magic of the little ordinary things and events that make us who we are.”

Matt is holding a launch event for the book at St Patrick’s Irish Club in Adelaide Road, Leamington, on Friday November 13 with the party starting at 7.30pm and copies being sold from 8.30pm to 9.15pm.

Entry is free and Matt is asking for a donation to The Esther Project of £6 or more for copies.

Those who can not attend the launch event can get a copy by contacting [email protected]