‘A surge of hope’: public helps create poem celebrating coming of spring

Writer Elizabeth-Jane Burnett brings together 400 voices for optimistic riposte to events of past year

Some described chance encounters with birds and animals beginning to chirrup and scurry as the days lengthened and warmed; others focused on feelings of relief, hope and lingering melancholy after a long and challenging winter.

The observations, thoughts and sentiments of members of the public who were invited to contribute to a crowdsourced poem celebrating the coming of spring 2021 have been weaved together into a new poem by the nature writer Elizabeth-Jane Burnett.