Childhood memories of growing up in Derbyshire inspired Allison Pennington to begin writing
and narrating her stories – and now they’re captivating a global audience, as Nicola Doughty discovers
When Allison Pennington began writing about life in Derbyshire, she never imagined her words would travel beyond the very county that inspired them. Yet today, her poems and stories strike a chord with readers and podcast listeners across the UK and as far afield as the United States and Japan.
For Allison, the response to her stories has been surprising. Until relatively recently writing has simply been a hobby in the background of her busy life as a speech therapist. With a doctor for a father and a nurse for a mother, she says working within a caring profession was a natural path to follow and one where she’s thrived.
Writing, though, remained a constant presence in her life. While in her 20s, she travelled extensively and was never far from a notepad and pen. Every chapter of her travels through Australia, New Zealand and Asia were carefully captured.
It was only after the loss of her parents within a four-year period that writing became her solace and her poetry woven with cherished memories.
“I have always loved writing but after Mum’s funeral last year I turned to writing poetry to deal with the outpouring of emotions and memories,” Allison explains. “I wrote about my childhood spent exploring the hills and woods above Baslow, and I couldn’t stop writing.
“When I read one of my pieces at her funeral, I was surprised by the positive response to my reading and it encouraged me to begin sharing my writing with others.”
The landscapes of her home county are now very much the backdrop for much of her poetry and stories, which draw on her childhood memories and the rhythms of country life. Her stories of quiet village moments and changing seasons are widely relatable way beyond the county’s borders.
Her poetry and stories evoke memories and a deep sense of place. Although born in Dublin, Allison grew up in Baslow and her childhood, school days and village life feature strongly in her writing, as does the Derbyshire countryside. Other stories have been inspired by the landscape surrounding Rowsley and Matlock, where she and her husband, Dave, brought up their family.
“My stories are often centred on Derbyshire, nature and the countryside and I love to explore the changes many people experience through life,” she adds. “I reflect on village life, school days, growing up and most things in between, including parts of life which we all face such as the joys of ageing and finding your way through difficult times.”
Some of her poetry is poignant, such as Saying Goodbye, but much of it is quirky and humorous. She sometimes deliberately disrupts the natural flow of words to create unexpected moments of humour. Favourite pieces include The Village Hop, recalling dances in Edensor, Baslow and Bakewell and The Barking Chain, which reminds her of home.
Allison also enjoys writing for children and her book – The Very Odd Sock – makes for great bedtime reading. It’s inspired by the ever-growing pile of odd socks; a situation that many will recognise.
This family-friendly tale is about the odd sock who decides to find his lost other half. His adventures take him from the washing line to helping other odd socks find their long-lost matches with fun along the way. It is a playful story, as is The Clutter Elves, which explores the mystery of household items that constantly go missing.
“I enjoyed writing The Very Odd Sock. It was fun and I’d love to write more books over time,” she adds.
In the meantime, she’s enjoying developing her podcast with narrations of her poetry – https://reflectionsandrhyme.podbean.com/ . She launched it only last year and has been surprised by how much she enjoys narrating. Given her career as a speech therapist, it’s only natural that voice has played a significant part of her life.
She loves singing too – and has been lead singer in a number of rock bands over the years in Jersey, London, Matlock, Bakewell and Castleton. Some Derbyshire locals may perhaps recall hearing her in ‘The Allycats’ or ‘Flatpack’.
Over the last year, Allison has found that her rhymes and reflections on her podcast resonate with others and has been surprised to learn that listeners from across the world from the United States to Japan regularly dip into the podcast.
“It has been encouraging to learn that people download my podcast and listen in to hear my poems and I love sharing my work through narration as well as through the written word.”
Allison’s poems have also been recently introduced to the Richard Hildebrand show on local community radio station – Cunningham Place Radio in Bakewell – where listeners can hear her poems read on alternate Sundays.
Most of her work is penned while at home, sometimes at the kitchen table but more often than not from her office by the window overlooking the fields and woods behind her home.
“I don’t have a writing routine as such but I usually find time to write on Thursdays and Fridays. Sometimes inspiration takes hold and I’ll return home with some lines going around my head and I just have to write them down. Once I begin, I could be lost to the words for hours. Thoughts arrive and I go with the flow. It’s rare that I get writers’ block.”
When she’s not writing, running is also an important part of Allison’s life. It helps her to stay grounded and on an even keel, whilst fuelling her creativity, she says. Her daily walks, often accompanied by her ‘bonkers’ black labrador Lily, also spark creative ideas.
“Where I live, it’s all about the hills. I love the hills, the solitude and the way the landscape changes with the seasons. The light and the birdsong constantly change throughout the year and often two or three lines of a poem can come to me while out walking or running.”
“I might see something, smell something or hear something that sparks the seed of an idea and I have to write it down straight away. I often carry a notebook and pen with me just in case.”
Inspiration also comes through reading. Surrounded by books, she enjoys reading poets such as Wordsworth and Gerard Manley Hopkins equally as much as children’s classics including The Wind in the Willows and Winnie-the-Pooh.
With ideas aplenty, Allison’s creativity continues to unfold. New poems take shape and her podcast continues to grow. As the Derbyshire hills whisper their inspiration, Allison promises to keep listening with notebook in hand, ready to share what she finds.
• The Very Odd Sock is available on Amazon and Allison’s poetry can be heard on her podcast – https://reflectionsandrhyme.podbean.com/ – as well as on local online radio station Cunningham Place Radio, available at cunninghamplace.net.