Poet Brian Loughborough turns Edinburgh Festival spotlight on Hartlepool hometown

Big Issue vendor Brian Loughborough, 59, will be showing his poetry-based film Red Dreams at the Edinburgh Fringe until the end of August.

The film, which will be showing until August 27, is about his hometown of Hartlepool and how he got his life back on track.

Brian, also known as The Poet Who Knows, first discovered his love of poetry while he was selling The Big Issue in Cambridge 15 years ago.

He quickly realised that not only did he have a talent for witty rhymes and making people laugh, but he also loved doing it.

He said: "I was after the cash, so I needed something to entice people, I found that I was a natural and that poetry it just rolls straight off my tongue.”

Brian had found himself homeless not long after arriving in the university city after circumstances changed.

"I found myself sleeping rough because I'd been promised somewhere to stay in Cambridge, but it fell through last minute,” he explained.

"I was too ashamed to go back to Hartlepool.”

After a difficult time and with a little help, Brian started to get back on his feet and realised that people really appreciated his talent.

"People loved my poetry, they used to travel into Cambridge just to see me, I don’t know why,” he continued.

"Twice people came up to a fellow Big Issue seller and said ‘Where’s the poet?’.”

He admitted that his technological ability was a barrier at first and it had taken him a long time to actually submit the film, but now things couldn’t be more different.

Brian added: “It took me five years to submit because I'm absolutely rubbish with technology. But I'm very stubborn, and I wouldn't give up."

The poet is now living back in Hartlepool, where he has found secure accommodation and has built up a YouTube channel of his poetic work.

He has hundreds of videos posted to his Facebook page 'Does The Poet Know It', and a YouTube channel.

You can watch Brian’s Edinburgh Fringe entry for free at bigissue.com

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