Late bard's poems support hospice that treated her

A series of poems by late Cornish Bard Hilary Keam is being published to support healthcare charity Cornwall Hospice Care.

The charity said the collection had been produced by her husband of 61 years, Dennis, in aid of Mount Edgecumbe Hospice in St Austell.

Mr Keam said his wife received "exceptional Lymphoedema treatment" from the hospice, adding "when Hilary passed away it made perfect sense to collate some of her favourite poems in to this new book".

The charity said the book contained 150 poems that had been handwritten by Ms Keam, who passed away last year.

The St Austell-born poet's work began after her Rayburn cooker began to leak, said Mr Keam.

"She wrote a poem about the Rayburn and then over some 30 years she wrote more than 200 other poems, many based on actual events," he added.

"It led to her being made a Cornish Bard in 2010 for her contribution to the Cornish dialect and for raising funds for local charities. She was thrilled."

The book will be launched at 16:00 BST at Ladock Village Hall.

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