Maggie Cobbett

Swanwick Writers’ Summer School 2026

Scrolling back through my posts, you’ll discover that the second week in August has long seen me back at The Hayes in Swanwick, Derbyshire for total immersion in all things writing related (and a lot more besides). It was very obvious from the moment I arrived, though, that there would be no singing or toasting marshmallows round the firepits this year. The smallest spark could lead to disaster, as had already happened in some areas. With the famous lawns suffering badly from the prolonged drought, much credit is due to the gardening team for keeping everything else in bloom. 

I was fortunate this time round to be allocated a room on the first floor of Lower Lakeside, actually overlooking the water. (My window can be seen in the distance.) The wooded area around that part of the grounds is the perfect retreat for any writer seeking a little solitude and, this year at least, provided respite from the wall to wall sunshine. Every day seemed to be hotter than the one before and half the clothes I had with me were never needed.

As ever, one of the greatest pleasures of the week was meeting old friends and making new ones. Graham (96) has been a Swanwicker for much longer than I have and Star (18) was there for the first time this year. (Photo generously shared by Keith Hinchy)

There was a huge variety of courses and workshops to choose from during the day. I very much enjoyed presenting one of the latter (see above) and might even consider bringing out a book on the subject in time for Swanwick 2027. Watch this space! During the course of the week, I learned a great deal about writing novels from Morgen Bailey and cosy crime from Kate McCormick as well as picking up useful hints on deciding how to publish (agent, publisher or DIY) from Della Galton, how to increase my book sales from Gerald Hornsby, writing a new ‘how to’ book from Bettina von Cossell and using real life humour in stories from Ian Fisermanis.

There were three evening speakers this year: NHS nurse turned novelist Joy Wood, whose own successes are mirrored by the generous support she offers to everyone around her, linguistics expert/performance artist Melanie Branton with her whistle stop routine through the history of the English language and crime writer A.A.Dhand. A Swanwick favourite since his first appearance a few years ago, Amit was as entertaining as ever and it was good to see him again. We were on the same table at dinner and my only regret is that the photo above wasn’t taken while we were still seated. Amit is very tall! Having greatly enjoyed his Bradford-based ‘Virdee’ books, successfully adapted – Amit wrote the screenplay himself – for television, I wish him equal or even greater success with his latest creations, The Chemist and The Kingpin.

Also tall is Jen Wilson, with whom I’ve been co-hosting the Prose Open Mic for several years and allocating the limited time available for readings as fairly as possible. At least I had the foresight to take a step up this time before saying ‘cheese’.  (Thanks due to Penny Blackburn for this photo.) The following evening, I took part in the Poetry Open Mic, which was so popular that Alison Chisholm had to limit participants to one poem each. I just squeaked in with my name coming last but one out of the hat. Other evening activities I enjoyed were the ‘Page to Stage’ performances of 5-minute plays written by delegates and Buskers’ Night. The stage of the Derbyshire Suite gives a better view than we used to have for these events in the Main Conference Hall, but its distance from the bar is something of a drawback!

The Book Room is always a busy place and I did my share of shifts in there, which is only right as some of my own books were on sale. This shot only shows part of the large room. It’s in the Main House,  built in the 1850s as a gentleman’s residence. Many original features have been kept and there are photographs on display to show how its use has changed over the years. It would be interesting to know what Mr Fitzherbert Wright and his household would have thought about it all. They could surely never have envisaged the influx of German prisoners during WW2 or thousands of people attending conferences at The Hayes each year.

The final evening managed not to be completely overshadowed by the eclipse (pun intended), although the clear skies gave us an excellent view. The theme for this year’s fancy dress, left open to interpretation, was the Swanwick Prom. Multi-talented Simon Hall and I went for floral!

All too soon, I was on my way home again but with plenty of fresh ideas for writing projects I might undertake. The countdown to Swanwick 2027 has begun!

14 August, 2026 - Make the first comment on this story