BARDS are being called upon to share some of their unpublished verse during an evening of pints and poems in Oxford.

Literature lover Peter Clifton is looking for amateur and professional poets to share in his passion for ale and odes at a Poems in a Pub event to raise cash for charity.

It is hoped the free event will attract poetry lovers to the Kings Arms in Holywell Street and donations for Oxfordshire charity Cecily’s Fund.The charity, which helps Aids orphans in Zambia, was set up by Basil and Alison Eastwood in memory of their daughter Cecily, from Stonesfield, who was 19 when she died in a road accident during a gap year in Africa.

The evening will open with a reading of Keats’ poem The Eve of St Agnes by Stonesfield actress Caroline Friend, whose actor son Rupert is the boyfriend of Hollywood star Keira Knightley.

Mr Clifton, from Stonesfield, said: “My belief is that poetry is a spoken art — it’s got nothing to do with poetry books.

“People don’t often listen to long poems but that helps to establish a certain amount of seriousness at the start of the night.

“Poetry can be very personal, but in my opinion nothing is better than being able to combine poetry with a pint. Oxfordshire is full of good poetry and this event really fits in with Oxford’s literary connections so we hope to hear from lots of people who have unpublished verse.”

Mr Clifton, a retired market researcher from Stonesfield, has been organising poetry nights since the 1970s, but this is his first in Oxford.

Landlord Ally Dunn said: “It’s the first time we’ve ever done anything like this here.

”I would imagine the way it’s been advertised we could get a full house.

Cecily’s Fund spokesman Sabita Banerji said: “An evening like this, full of charm, wit and lyricism, is a great way to take your mind off the current economic doom and gloom.

“The last Poems in a Pub evening in Charlbury brought in nearly £200, which is enough to put four Zambian orphans through secondary school for a whole year.

“We hope the next one will raise even more and help even more children get an education."

The event takes place on Thursday, April 2, starting at 8pm.

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk