LIFE in Wantage could soon be told in rhyme and verse as the town seeks to appoint a poet laureate.

Wantage Town Council hopes to install the position later this year in time for a celebration of the town’s most famed poet, the first John Betjeman Festival in September.

Council member Jenny Hannaby said: “I thought it would a very light-hearted, but good thing for Wantage.

“We did have Betjeman and we have a number of talented poets around. And everybody enjoys some poetry.

“Each town has sad things and happy things happen, and it would be good to have a poet laureate to record these events.

“It will be an extra bit of history for the town to carry on with its traditional history of poets and writers. Who knows, we might discover another John Betjeman?”

Fellow councillor Bryan Armitage said: “It just seemed like quite a nice idea to have someone write something that is local to the area.

“It is really to help to make Wantage rather special and give it a bit of character.”

Town mayor Jim Sibbald said: “It is something the council is looking forward to doing, especially given the Betjeman Festival later in the year. But they will not get paid — in the tradition of the poet laureate, they do it for the prestige.”

Sir John Betjeman, himself a former national poet laureate, lived in the town from 1951 to 1972, and the Betjeman Festival will take place from Sunday, September 11, to Friday, September 16.

It will include readings of his poetry, plus theatre, music and film.

Jim Mitchell, artistic director of the John Betjeman Society, backed the proposal put to the council’s summer festival committee.

He said: “I would welcome anything that raises the profile of poetry and can bring it off the page and to life.”

Sir John wrote two poems about Wantage, Wantage Bells and On Leaving Wantage. He also wrote a book called Archie and the Strict Baptists, which is set in the town.

David Child, 51, a poet from Shannon Close, Grove, expressed an interest in becoming the town’s poet laureate.

He said: “Everyone of any age should be encouraged to write and read poetry, especially in Oxfordshire, as we have a tradition of literature.”

Mike Jones, chairman of Wantage Poetry Club, said: “It will raise the profile of poetry, which is something Wantage Poetry Club wants to do, as poetry tends to be lacking in interest these days. But if they are going down this road, it needs to be given lots of publicity as unless people know about it, it will be a waste of time. But it certainly would be an interesting experiment.”