Apothecary, Bridport's popular spoken word event, is celebrating its fifth birthday this December.

It was set up in 2015 by local friends Rob Casey, Ged Duncan and Tom Rogers, who all enjoyed writing and performing spoken word and felt that people from the Bridport area would enjoy the opportunity to do the same. They were right.

Since then, more than 150 different people have taken part and the event has occurred monthly, continuing online during the pandemic. In the comfort of the Beach and Barnicott, Apothecary has enabled writers and performers not only to share their work, but also to become part of a friendly and supportive community.

Rob said: "I feel very proud to observe the growth of Apothecary, and with it the spoken word community in Bridport.

"Over the last five years we've had everyone from award-winning, published writers to first time performers, and we treat them all the same.

"It's all about the open mic spirit, and that's exciting because we never know what we're going to get each month. The variety is incredible, yet the quality of writing shines through every time."

Ged agrees and said: "We've heard writers' work in many forms - stories, poetry, non-fiction, and words to hip hop beats and a variety of musical accompaniments.

"People have used the event to express their responses to life's challenges and experience, not just through compelling writing, but often with great wit - which has included puppetry, disguises and performing fruit!"

Apothecary has also hosted special events, such as Wandering Apothecary on the town's streets, a public gala performance at The Lyric Theatre as part of BridFringe, and a tie-in event at Bridport LSi during the Turner exhibition. Several regulars have progressed to working full or part-time in the field, or had their work published.

Apothecary also helped curate Scratch & Spit, where performers had longer slots alongside a headline act.

Like so many events, during the pandemic Apothecary has migrated to Zoom, and hasn't missed a month. It's not the same, but this has highlighted that Apothecary has become a community, and people have enjoyed seeing familiar faces and hearing what friends have been writing during the restrictions. The online format has particularly been a boon to people who are shielding or have felt isolated, and for those who normally travel around the region to perform in different places.

Apothecarians, as they are known, will be celebrating this milestone on Zoom at 7.30pm on Tuesday, December 8.

"The future is still uncertain," said Tom, "but hopefully we'll be gathering in the flesh soon. Either way, we'll continue to find ways of sharing through our words and performances. Hope to see you there."

If you would like more information about Apothecary, visit its Facebook page , follow the group on Twitter or email [email protected]