The Bardic Council of Stony Stratford

The Bardic Council of Stony Stratford The Bard of Stony Stratford is a figurehead for the spirit of creativity, culture and community in the town of Stony Stratford and the surrounding areas.

The Bardic Council of Stony Stratford supports and promotes the Bard of Stony Stratford, who is a figurehead for the spirit of creativity, culture and community in the town of Stony Stratford and the surrounding areas. It is an official civic position, recognised by Stony Stratford Town Council and supported by the Mayor of Milton Keynes. Each Bard serves in the post for a year and a day and creates original pieces in their art-form to celebrate the significant town events.

Abracadazra is the 15th Bard of Stony Stratford, 2026The Bardic Council of Stony Stratford hosted the 15th Bardic Trials...
25/01/2026

Abracadazra is the 15th Bard of Stony Stratford, 2026

The Bardic Council of Stony Stratford hosted the 15th Bardic Trials in York House Centre on the 24th January 2026.
Three brilliant candidates, Abracadazra, Camilla Lazarus and Sara Basra, competed in three rounds to be the one cloaked and named Bard of Stony Stratford 2026. The judging panel of Liz Gifford of Stony Words, James Lancaster -the mayor of Milton Keynes, and Nova Claasen - out going Bard, plus the gathered audience had an incredible tough task of voting as all three candidates showed their tremendous Bardic abilities, making it one of the hardest fought Trials we've seen. However, in the end there can only be one Bard - and it was Abracadazra that was ultimately victorious and once he read the Bardic Oath, was Hailed by the gathered audience as the new Bard.

In between each of the three rounds, the audience were treated to spectacular performances from our three guest performers, Willow Johns - 14th Bard of Northampton, musician - Jake Middleton Metcalfe, and storyteller - Baden Prince.
Willow truly showed why she had won the Northampton Bardic competition, with an inspiring and sensitive poetry performance and demonstrated just how cool cloaks can be. Jake stunned and delighted with a performance that showed squeeze boxes are cool! I don't think any of those who were there will ever think about eels or s***m whales the same way ever again. Our headliner Baden Prince showed just why he is one of the most popular storytellers on the circuit - his tales of comeuppance had the audience enthralled, and was the perfect way to round off what had been a jammed pack evening of entertainment.

As always the Bardic Council would like to thank the audience and Judges for turning out and voting, and the Bardic Elves who gave up their time to run the PA, take photos, and run our very busy bar - this wouldn't happen without you. Thanks

This Saturday head to York House for an evening of entertainment from Baden Price, Jake Middle-Metcalfe, Willow Johns, a...
21/01/2026

This Saturday head to York House for an evening of entertainment from Baden Price, Jake Middle-Metcalfe, Willow Johns, and three Bardic Candidates all hoping to win your vote. Who will be the new voice of Stony Stratford... only YOU can choose!

We have the wonderful Storyteller Baden Prince head lining the 2026 Bardic Trials on Saturday - one definitely not to mi...
19/01/2026

We have the wonderful Storyteller Baden Prince head lining the 2026 Bardic Trials on Saturday - one definitely not to miss. Plus 3 brilliant Bardic Candidates, and the Bard of Northampton. It will be a Bard's day Night!

14/01/2026

The Bardic applications are closed for this year, we have 3 candidates who will be vying for your votes, plus the Bard of Northampton performing poetry and Internationally famed storyteller Baden Prince - it is going to be a night folks!

The 29th November 2025 marks the launch of the 15th Bardic Trials, our search begins for the next Bard... could it be yo...
28/11/2025

The 29th November 2025 marks the launch of the 15th Bardic Trials, our search begins for the next Bard... could it be you?
Use your voice and words to honour, celebrate, or speak out for Stony Stratford and its community.
Head to our website to learn more about the role of Bard of Stony Stratford, the Bardic Trials and how to apply.
https://bardofstony.weebly.com/bardic-trials.html

Unfortunately our 14th Bard, Nova Claasen, has been unwell recently and won't be with us for an Evening with the Bard an...
02/06/2025

Unfortunately our 14th Bard, Nova Claasen, has been unwell recently and won't be with us for an Evening with the Bard and Friends, but we will be doing a great show in her honour and collecting donations on behalf of her choosen charity Mind BLMK.

We have a new Bard - welcome Nova Claasen the 14th Bard of Stony Stratford. All Hail the Bard, All Hail the Bard, All Ha...
19/01/2025

We have a new Bard - welcome Nova Claasen the 14th Bard of Stony Stratford. All Hail the Bard, All Hail the Bard, All Hail the Bard!

On the 18th January 2025, the 14th Bardic Trials were held at York House Centre, to a packed audience made up of the loc...
19/01/2025

On the 18th January 2025, the 14th Bardic Trials were held at York House Centre, to a packed audience made up of the local community; all there to vote in the new Bard of Stony Stratford.
As well as the Trials to pick the next Bard, throughout the evening there were performances from the outgoing 13th Bard, Craig Hudson, Caz Tricks, Andy Powell (10th Bard), Danni Antagonist (2nd Bard), Terrie Howey-Moore, and Coda Rushing.
The evening was hosted by Mitchell Taylor and Terrie Howey-Moore, and overseen by a panel of Judges, The Mayor of Milton Keynes Marie Bradburn, Representative of StonyWords Festival Liz Gifford, 6th Bard of Stony Stratford Vanessa Horton, and 13th Bard Craig Hudson, their role being to ensure a fair competition.
It was our first ever all-female competition, with Nova Claasen and Jenn Catterall vying for the Bardic cloak and title. All present agreed that both candidates were worthy winners and it was an incredibly close competition. However, in the end there can only be one Bard, and Mayor Marie Bradburn announced the winner as Nova Claasen who, at 24 yrs old, is the youngest Bard, the first person of colour, and only the fourth woman to hold the title. Nova was duly cloaked the 14th Bard of Stony Stratford and given the items of office, all items reflecting the Bardic arts; the giant pencil of poetry, the medal of music and the magic beans of storytelling. In front of those gathered, Nova read the Bardic Oath declaring her service in words to Stony Stratford over the next year.
When asked why she wanted to be Bard, Nova wrote:
I’ve lived in Milton Keynes since I was 7 years old. I’ve been passionate about creative writing for as long as I can remember! I run writers workshops once a month where I’ve created a safe space for people to network, grow their writing skills and become more confident presenting their work. I want to inspire change. Change to be better, feel better and do better. I think spoken word is powerful and the beauty in sharing stories that can feel encouraging to a plethora of people. The world is full of terrible things all the time and to find beauty in it and within ourselves can be so hard. As Bard, I would hope that my enthusiasm exudes from my writing, that my pain would be felt in a way that allows people to not feel alone in their struggles and feel hopeful for the future, because word after word is power.
The evening was created by the Bardic Council of Stony Stratford; Alice Fowle, Caz Tricks, Craig Hudson, Mitchell Taylor, and Terrie Howey-Moore. The Bardic Council would like to thank all the performers, Judges, Candidates, audience, Craig for his year of service as the 13th Bard and especially the Bardic helpers; Widget on PA, and Jess who helped Caz on the bar, to keep the audience hydrated.
The role of the Bard is a civic position, using words to give voice to the celebrations, commiserations and concerns of the community of Stony Stratford. The Bard and Bardic Council are voluntary roles, providing free events throughout the year and supporting the many festivals and fundraisers held locally.
If you would like to book the 14th Bard for an event in 2025 please email: [email protected] or visit our website www.bardofstonystratford.weebly.com

Tonight is the night, The Bardic Trials are back! Join us at 7:30pm in York House Stony Stratford for your chance to cho...
18/01/2025

Tonight is the night, The Bardic Trials are back! Join us at 7:30pm in York House Stony Stratford for your chance to choose our new Bard for 2025! No tickets required, and we have a CASH ONLY bar available!

Being a Bard was great, forced me out of my comfort zone as a writer and got me some of the weirdest gigs of my life. Ho...
09/01/2025

Being a Bard was great, forced me out of my comfort zone as a writer and got me some of the weirdest gigs of my life. Honestly, if you’re a performer of any kind give it a shot - you won’t regret it - Mitchell Taylor, 9th Bard of Stony Stratford

Applications close on Sunday. Get involved. Follow the link to register!

https://bardofstony.weebly.com/bardic-trials.html

Address

Studio 2. 2, York House Centre, London Road
Stony Stratford
MK111JQ

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