Evening Advertiser reporter Victoria Tagg stepped into the breach with her very own poetry when the Swindon Festival of Literature needed a little something extra…

The Swindon Poetry Slam was short of a poet - so an Evening Advertiser reporter stepped into the breach.

And that reporter was me. Hours before the performance, Marcus Moore, event organiser, raised the alarm.

He said: "Vicky, one of our poets is stranded in Ireland. Will you fill the gap?"

Refusing is not in my nature, so I accepted the challenge and set to write three poems.

Used to meeting tight deadlines, surely this would be easy. After much brainstorming and several mild panic attacks, I discovered it was not.

My moment of poetic truth loomed, yet still my notepad lay bare. Rescued by a high caffeine dosage, inspiration struck and the words flowed like traffic on junction 16 during rush hour.

Somehow managing to compose myself, and three poems along the way, I walked nerve-racked to the Town Hall where fatal embarrassment would surely prevail. Far from ready to perform, I was fully prepared to scale new heights in the history of humiliation.

Compounding my discomfort, the professionals went first. They sounded stunning.

Vicky in action

Then it was my turn. More a party piece than a masterpiece, I read out my measly effort entitled Fashion Victim.

The audience laughed most heartily throughout - at the poem, not me, I hope.

Besides loud applause, I was also thrilled to receive foot stamps of approval.

But the standing ovation was saved for Matt Holland - the man behind the best Swindon Festival of Literature to date.

Ever-modest, he handed the glory to his many helpers and thanked them profusely with flowers.

He said: "The range of experiences we have had during this festival has matched the range of events. Exhilaration, intellectual stimulation, hilarity and extreme sadness following the loss of one of our helpers, have made this an unforgettable three weeks."

Then he revealed his own hidden talent and burst into song. Backed by helper Martin Hawes, he delivered a comic rendition of Twisted - a song about being slightly mad.

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