The Colour Of Hope is a poetry collection with happiness at its heart. The 45 poems inside were created during lockdown, at a time when finding beauty and comfort in the everyday seemed at once fraught with difficulty and vitally important.
Each was written for a specific recipient, based on three things they guaranteed would make them feel happy. I received a wonderful range of briefs. From the beautifully universal - a longing for nature and freedom, time spent with family, summers spent in other lands - to the gloriously specific - snaffling a Toffee Crisp from the fridge late at night, Fleetwood Mac songs, making the perfect scrambled eggs, and Ceilidh dancing.
The result is a collection of poems that serves both as a record of this intense and intensely strange year, and as an uplifting reading experience that will connect and resonate with a much wider audience than the individuals they were initially written for. 2020 will be one for the history books, a year that has created emergencies on many fronts, not least the emotional. 60% of adults, and 68% of young people in the UK reported a decline in their mental health during lockdown.
Mental health charities are working harder than ever to provide support to the vulnerable and in need, and every little helps. As such, 20% from the sale of this book will be donated to Mind, to help provide a bit of light in these uncertain times.
Hope comes in many shapes and colours, and it's my hope that you'll find some of your own pieces of happiness, comfort and, yes, hope within these pages.