An innovative Shropshire business has been able to further its plans thanks to a grant from the Wider Economic Recovery Fund from Shropshire Council, part of the Council’s Covid 19 Business support package of grants.

The Poetry Pharmacy in Bishops Castle is a bookshop with a difference and has already featured widely in national and international press.

Its Founder Deborah Alma explains how, despite its appearance, the plan was always that the business would be so much more than a bookshop:

“We aim to be a national centre for the arts and well-being, and have created our small arts venue or ‘social space’ where people come together to participate in an arts community, both locally and even internationally.

“It’s already proved very popular and we know it’s brought many new visitors to Bishops Castle just to seek us out. We have already succeeded in putting Bishops Castle on the literary map of Great Britain!”

Deborah has a deep- seated belief in the power of poetry to heal, console and inspire.  A few years ago, she purchased an old ambulance and visited schools, libraries, organisations and attended events.

In a pastiche of a therapy session after asking her ‘patients’ a series of questions about themselves, Deborah would then ‘prescribe’ a poem or reading.

Deborah adds:

“I called myself the ‘emergency poet’ – it was primarily a piece of performance art, but it proved popular with hospices and dementia patients. I also worked with a number of charities, especially those supporting individuals suffering with loneliness.”

Deborah’s Poetry Pharmacy bookshop still offers ‘poetry prescriptions’ but also hosts workshops and events including reading groups and is developing a large poetry reference library.

The money from the Wider Economic Recovery Fund has enabled the business to purchase additional equipment and expand it facilities by developing the bookshop’s garden area.

“The grant has enabled us to improve our cafe space, with a new outside space for events and workshops, which have already started happening. We couldn’t be more delighted and grateful for this assistance”

Deborah also has exciting further plans for growing the business.  She would love to develop accommodation space so that she could offer residential courses, explore additional innovative projects –  e.g.making ink from natural materials – and continue to build on collaborative links and outreach work with charities, schools and the health sector.