TICKETS are now on sale for an evening of jazz music and lyrics to salute Colchester Poetry Project coming to fruition.

The Blue Town Jazz Band will headline the fundraising show at Colchester Arts Centre this October, as part of Essex Poetry Festival.

Stand-up comedian, Jo Fletcher-Cross, will compere Without Walls, also the name of the poem anthology, alongside Alice Goss, who produced the book with fellow Colchester historians, writers and visual artists.

Alice said: “The book is more of a history book as most of the poems are related to Colchester’s heritage.

"The poems are accompanied by photographs and illustrations and historical articles.

“It’s a celebration of Colchester’s history through verse.”

The book's launch on October 14 promises to be a night of poetry and music, but also acknowledgement of the creatives who contributed to it.

Proceeds from the ticket sales will go towards Without Walls' production costs and be donated to Emmaus, St Peter’s Guest House, the Night Shelter, Colchester’s bus conversion project and the food bank.

She said: "Being homelessness is a terrible position to be in, and in this modern day, nobody should be in this position.

"The fact remains that Colchester, like so many of Britain’s towns, has a serious homeless problem.

"There are numerous initiatives which actively support these people, and they all need our support.

"Many of whom have contributed articles for this book so the public will be able to read about the amazing work they do."

For tickets, click here.