A POETRY marathon is being held in Clevedon to commemorate the work of Alfred Lord Tennyson.

More than 40 volunteers have been practising for the event at St Andrew's Church on April 25, when they will hold a public reading of one of the longest poems in English – Tennyson's In Memoriam A.H.H.

The poem, which will take nearly four hours to read, was written to celebrate the life of Arthur Henry Hallam, who used to live in the seaside town.

Mr Hallam, who lived at Clevedon Court, died suddenly at the age of 23 while in Vienna.

He was a great friend of the Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, who was born 200 years ago.

Tennyson, a regular visitor to Clevedon, wrote his major work in honour of his friend and it explores themes of nature, faith, loss and purpose.

Mr Hallam is commemorated in St Andrew's Church in Clevedon and lies buried there.

St Andrew's Church vicar, the Reverend Terry Baillie, said: "The poem is rarely heard in public in its entirety because of its length but is full of some famous poetry quotations.

"Everyone will probably recognise bits that have become part of our language like 'ring out the old ring in the new', ''tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all' and 'I know not which way to turn'."

The reading will begin at 2pm and will last until past 6pm.

Anyone is welcome to come and hear the poem or to listen to just a part of it, and entry is free.

There will be frequent opportunities for a break and refreshments will be provided.

People can attend for however long they wish, either to listen or to encourage the readers in their efforts.