Poet Laureate joins fundraiser

BRITAIN'S Poet Laureate is to lead a line-up of award-winning Scottish and UK poets at a special event in the Capital to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Carol Ann Duffy will join 20 leading British writers for an evening of poetry, to raise funds for the Evening News-backed appeal launched by Mercy Corps and the city council.

The event was the idea of Ms Duffy and Don Paterson, who next month will receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.

Poets reading on the night include major literary figures such as Alasdair Gray, Douglas Dunn, Jackie Kay, Kathleen Jamie and Sean O'Brien, as well as four UK poets laureate – Liz Lochhead, Ron Butlin, Gillian Clarke and Carol Ann Duffy.

The event is due to be held at the Queen's Hall on Sunday, 28 February, from 6pm to 8pm, with tickets priced from 10.