LIVE EVENTS LIST 2026

 

MARK BARDSLEY 

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR 

VISITS & EVENTS 2026

(PUBLIC EVENTS in ENGLAND & WALES)

On-the-Spot PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING

(events with an asterisk * include a children's workshop)

Email: bardsleyart@gmail.com to book appearances & workshops

January 2026

*HARDY'S BOOK STORE 

SATURDAY 31ST 10.30am- 5pm. BOOK SIGNING & LIVE PET CARICATURING &

BERRIEW STREET, WELSHPOOL, POWYS, MID WALES  SY21 7SQ

FREE ENTRY

SATURDAY 31ST 10.30am- 5pm. BOOK SIGNING & LIVE PET CARICATURING &

CHILDREN'S WORK SHOP; HOW TO DRAW YOUR DOG at 2pm

Followed at 3pm, by SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOK LAUNCH & TALKS by

MARK BARDSLEY & WRITER, EURWYN PIERCE JONES.

Launching the 3rd edition of  'Y Cych Brith' Welsh translation of

SHERLOCK HOLMES adventure, 'THE SPECKLED BAND'.

Cover illustration by Mark Bardsley.

Translation by Eurwyn Pierce Jones.

March 2026

* WHITCHURCH CALDECOTT FESTIVAL

SATURDAY 21st, WHITCHURCH, SHROPSHIRE.

FREE ENTRY

Venues to include the Library from 10.30am - 12.30 am

with further details yet to be announce.

April 2026

*MANOR WOOD HOLIDAY PARK

WEDNESDAY 1st, MILL LANE, CODDINGTON, CHESHIRE. CH3 9EN.

FREE ENTRY to CAFE

Tel: 01829782990| Email: info@manorwoodcaravans.co.uk | Web: www.manor-wood.com

with further details yet to be announce.

LATEST EVENTS 2025

MARK BARDSLEY LIVE DATES 2025

(PUBLIC EVENTS in ENGLAND & WALES)

On-the-Spot PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING  (events with an asterisk include a children's workshop) 

FEBRUARY 2025

*Shrewsbury Library, Shropshire, SATURDAY 15th.

*Oswestry Library, Shropshire, TUESDAY  18th & WEDNESDAY 19th.

MARCH 2025

*Codsall Library, Staffordshire. WV8 1PX. FRIDAY 21st (World Poetry Day) & SATURDAY 22nd.

Saturday includes a free children's workshop; 'How to write illustrated animal poems', 11am - 12pm.

(booking advised, phone 01902 506060).

APRIL 2025

Charlies Store, Coed y Dinas, Welshpool, Powys SY21 8RP. SATURDAY 19th. 10am till 4pm

Hoo Zoo (Comicon) Telford TF6 6DJ. MONDAY 21st (bank holiday).

*Church Stretton Library, Shropshire. FRIDAY 25th (World Penguin day) & SATURDAY 26th

Both days include a free children's workshop; 'How to write illustrated animal poems', 11.30am - 12.30pm.

MAY 2025

Caffi Wylfa, Chirk, nr Wrexham LL14 5BS. SATURDAY 3rd & MONDAY 5th. 10am till 4pm

A beautiful dog friendly café beside the Llangollen canal and the Chirk tunnel.

Perton Library Science fair & spring festival, Staffordshire WV6 7QU. SATURDAY 10th, 10am till 3pm. Free event.

GSP Rescue UK. 'Meet the breed and fun dog show'.  Rodbaston Equestrian Centre, 

Penkridge ST19 5PH SUNDAY 18th.

Shropshire Agricultural Show, Shrewsbury show ground, Shropshire SY1 2PF. SATURDAY 24th

*Ellesmere Library, Trimply Street, Ellesmere, Shropshire SY12 0AE. 

FRIDAY 30th, 10am - 4pm, pet cartooning and book signing.

SATURDAY 31st, 9am - 4pm as above including a free Children's Workshop; 'How to draw your pets - and write poems about them' at 11am till 12pm ( booking advisable, Library phone: 01743 258555)

JUNE 2025

WCF Pet & Equestrian, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 7AB. SATURDAY 7th.

10am - 5pm

WCF Pet & Equestrian, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7JU. SATURDAY 14th.

10am - 5pm 

SHROPSHIRE HILLS DISCOVERY CENTRE, Craven Arms, SY7 9RS, 

SATURDAY 21st 10am - 5pm

HAFAN YR AFON Dog Friendly Cafe, the Park, Newtown, Powys.

SATURDAY 28th from 10am - 4pm

JULY 2025

THE SECRET GARDEN CAFE , Pentwyn Farm, Mamhilad NP4 OJE (near Pontypool))

 9.30am till 4pm. Book Signing & Live pet caricaturing.

A beautiful rural café and garden centre set in the idyllic farmland of South Wales.

FRIDAY 4th July,

ABERGAVENNY SHIRE & MINIATURE HORSE SHOW 

Bailey Park,  Park Road, Abergavenny NP75PR. 

SATURDAY5th. 9am-4pm.

*CANNOCK LIBRARY, Manor Avenue, Cannock, Staffordshire. WS11 1AA.

SATURDAY 19th. Meet the author and summer workshop.

*RUGELEY LIBRARY, 12 Anson St WS15 2BB. 10am-4pm

TUESDAY 22nd 

*BROSELEY LIBRARY, Bridgnorth Road, Broseley, Shropshire TF12 5EQ. 

THURSDAY 24th.

CUAN VALLEY RESCUE CENTRE, Much Wenlock, Shropshire TF13 6DD 

SATURDAY 26th.

*PERTON LIBRARY Severn Drive, Wolverhampton WV6 7QU 10am-4pm

TUESDAY 29th

*MANOR WOOD CARAVAN PARK, Coddington, Chester CH3 9EN. 

WEDNESDAY 30TH.

AUGUST 2025

*SHREWSBURY LIBRARY, Castle Gates, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 2AS.

Author visit and workshops. (1 for adults and 1 for children) 

TUESDAY 5th & Wednesday 6th.

HEDNESFORD SUMMER FESTIVAL, Hednesford Park, Staffordshire WS12 1BT.

SATURDAY 9th 11am-4pm. 

*HOO ZOO, Telford. TF6 6DJ. Book Signing, Demo Drawing and On the Spot Pet Caricaturing.

TUESDAY 12th

*LAPWORTH MUSEUM OF GEOLOGY, University of Birmingham B15 2TT  Phone 0121 414 7294

Drawing Dinosaurs! (times yet to be announced).

WEDNESDAY 13th

*LUDLOW LIBRARY, 7-9 Parkway Lane SY82PG. Phone 01743 250510

'How to Draw Garden Animals', Children's Workshop, 10.30-11.30am

SATURDAY 16th (there from 10am till 12.30pm.)

*OSWESTRY LIBRARY, Arthur Street, Shropshire SY11 1JN. 

Author visit & workshops. ( 1 for adults and 1 for children)

TUESDAY 19th & 

WEDNESDAY 20th.

BERRIEW SHOW, Powys SY21 8AN. 

SATURDAY 23rd. From 10am.

BAKEWELL TOWN HALL, The Square, Derbyshire. DE45 1BT Phone 01629 81152

FREE ADMISSION; Book Signing & LIVE PET CARTOONING

WEDNESDAY 27th 10am-4pm

LONGSHAW SHEEP DOG TRIALS, Longshaw lodge, hope valley. Sheffield, S11 7TZ.

Book signing & live pet cartooning.

THURSDAY 28th. 10am-5pm.

SEPTEMBER 2025

HAFAN YR AFON DOG FRIENDLY CAFE, the Park, Newtown, Powys. 10am - 5pm

SATURDAY 6th 

 KINGTON AGRICULTURAL SHOW. The Ovals Farm, Kington, Herefordshire. HR5 3LN.

SATURDAY 13th.

SEVERN HOSPICE FUN DOG SHOW. Severn Hospice, Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury SY3 8HS

SATURDAY 20th 10am-4pm. refreshevents@severnhospice.org.uk Tel:01743 236565

OCTOBER 2025

BRADELEY GREEN PET STORE, DOG FRIENDLY CAFE & FARM SHOP.

Tarporley Road, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 4HD.Phone 01948 668100.

SATURDAY 11th, 10am- 4pm. Book Signing & Live Pet Caricaturing.

ABERTILLERY DOG SHOW, MID GLAMORGAN, WALES.

Book signing &caricaturing.

SATURDAY 18th. 

BAKEWELL VISITOR CENTRE, BAKEWELL, DERBYSHIRE.

Book signing & pet caricaturing.

SATURDAY 25th 10am - 4pm.

BAKEWELL TOWN HALL, DERBYSHIRE. DE45 1BT.

Book signing & pet caricaturing.

MONDAY 27th 10am - 2pm.

NOVEMBER 2025

COED Y DINAS (CHARLIE'S STORE) Pet Department Welshpool, Powys, Mid Wales. Book signing and pet caricaturing.

Saturday, 8th . 10am - 5pm.

WCF Pet & Equestrian, Ulverston, Cumbria. LA12 7AB.

Book signing & Pet caricaturing.

SATURDAY 15th. 10am - 5pm

SHREWSBURY LIBRARY Castle Gates Shrewsbury Shropshire SY1 2AS

Book Signing & Pet Caricaturing

Saturday 22nd 10am - 4pm

DECEMBER 2025

BRADELEY GREEN PET STORE, DOG FRIENDLY CAFE & FARM SHOP.

Tarporley Road, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 4HD.Phone 01948 668100.

SATURDAY 6th, 10am- 4pm. Book Signing & Live Pet Caricaturing.

HAFANYRAFON, DOG FRIENDLY CAFE, Back Lane, Newtown, Powys.

Book signing & pet caricaturing.

SATURDAY 13th. 10am - 4pm

More dates to be announced for 2026

My funny illustrated poetry books are usually available for purchase and signing at live events and are also available from Amazon which you can link to via my website.

Available Book Titles include;

     'Mark Bardsley's Crazy Animal Poems' £12.99, 

     'Dogs' £14.99

     'When I Was Young and Foolish' £14.99

     ' Mark Bardsley's Dogs Colouring Book £7.50

     'Mark Bardsley's Country Show Colouring Book £7.50

     'Bloom Town' (Shropshire poems, illustrated)

PREVIOUS LIVE DATES at a GLANCE 2024

Shrewsbury library Saturday 12th October

Shrewsbury Pets & Friends Saturday 26th October

Oswestry Library Tuesday 29th & 30th October

Caffi Wyllfa, Chirk Friday 1st November

Coed y Dinas (Charlies) Welshpool, 2nd November

Shrewsbury Pets & Friends Saturday 23rd November

Hafan Yr Afon, Newtown Friday 29th November

Caffi Wylfa Chirk Saturday 30th November

OTHER UK VENUES

WCF Pet & Equestrian Ulverston, Cumbria October 19th

(keep scrolling for more detailed listings)

PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING  

SHREWSBURY LIBRARY 

Saturday 12th OCTOBER 2024 10am - 4pm  

FREE EVENT

An opportunity to purchase a signed caricature of your pet from your phone photos. Drawings take approximately 10 minutes. My funny animal poetry books will be available.

Caricature prices start at £15 Book prices from £6.50

Venue Location; Castle Gates, Shrewsbury SY1 2AS     Phone; 01743 255308

PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING  

WCF Pet & EQUESTRIAN, CUMBRIA

Saturday 19th OCTOBER 2024  9.30am - 5.30pm  

FREE EVENT

An opportunity to purchase a signed caricature of your pet from your phone photos. Drawings take approximately 10 minutes. My funny animal poetry books will be available, including 'DOGS'

Caricature prices start at £15 Book prices from £6.50

Venue Location; WCF Pet & Equestrian, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 7LB     Phone; 01229 582401

Situated opposite Booths supermarket with convenient parking.

PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING 

SHREWSBURY PETS & FRIENDS 

SATURDAY 26th OCTOBER 2024  9.30am till 5.30pm     

FREE EVENT

An opportunity to purchase a signed caricature of your pet from your phone photos. Drawings take approximately 10 minutes. My funny animal poetry books will be available.

Caricature prices start at £15 Book prices from £6.50

Venue location; Pets & Friends, Lancaster Retail Park SY1 3AZ Phone; 01743 440884

PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING 

OSWESTRY LIBRARY

Tuesday 29th - 30th October  11am - 5.00pm  

Two Day FREE EVENT

An opportunity to purchase a signed caricature of your pet from your phone photos. Drawings take approximately 10 minutes. My funny animal poetry books will be available.

Caricature prices start at £15 Book prices from £6.50

Venue Location; Oswestry Library, Arthur Street, SY11 1JN  Phone; 01743 250351

PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING 

CAFE WYLFA, CHIRK  

Friday November 1st 2024  9.30am - 5.00pm  

FREE EVENT

An opportunity to purchase a signed caricature of your pet from your phone photos. Drawings take approximately 10 minutes. My funny animal poetry books will be available.

Caricature prices start at £15 Book prices from £6.50

Venue Location; Caffi Wylfa, Castle Road, Chirk Wrexham LL14 5BS   Phone; 01691 770492

A beautiful location a short distance from the Llangollen canal, Chirk tunnel and aqueduct.

Great dog walking opportunities! Caffi Wylfa has a covered outside area with tables for dog owners.

https://caffiwylfa.com/

PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING  

COED y DINAS Country Store Welshpool 

SATURDAY 2nd NOVEMBER 2024  10am till 5pm  

FREE EVENT

An opportunity to purchase a signed caricature of your pet from your phone photos. Drawings take approximately 10 minutes. My funny animal poetry books will be available.

Caricature prices start at £15 Book prices from £6.50

Venue location; Coed y Dinas, Welshpool SY21 8RP Phone; 01938 555 545

https://www.coedydinas.co.uk/

PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING 

SHREWSBURY PETS & FRIENDS 

SATURDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 2024  9.30am till 5.30pm   

 FREE EVENT

An opportunity to purchase a signed caricature of your pet from your phone photos. Drawings take approximately 10 minutes. My funny animal poetry books will be available.

Caricature prices start at £15 Book prices from £6.50

Venue location; Pets & Friends, Lancaster Retail Park SY1 3AZ Phone; 01743 440884

PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING 

HAFAN YR AFON, NEWTOWN 

Pop up Powys Trade fare

Friday November 29th 2024  10am - 4.00pm  

FREE EVENT

An opportunity to purchase a signed caricature of your pet from your phone photos. Drawings take approximately 10 minutes. Caricature prices start at £15.

My funny animal poetry books will be available for signing.

Venue Location; Hafan Yr Afon, Newtown, Powys SY16 6NH   Phone; 01686 880777

Located on the river side behind the main town car park and park. A modern events centre and café with ample public parking. Shopping centre nearby. 

PET CARICATURING & BOOK SIGNING 

CAFE WYLFA, CHIRK  

Saturday November 30th 2024  9.30am - 5.00pm  

FREE EVENT

An opportunity to purchase a signed caricature of your pet from your phone photos. Drawings take approximately 10 minutes. My funny animal poetry books will be available.

Caricature prices start at £15 Book prices from £6.50

Venue Location; Caffi Wylfa, Castle Road, Chirk Wrexham LL14 5BS   Phone; 01691 770492

A beautiful location a short distance from the Llangollen canal, Chirk tunnel and aqueduct.

Great dog walking opportunities! Caffi Wylfa has a covered outside area with tables for dog owners.

https://caffiwylfa.com/

'When I was Young and Foolish' official book launch

 When I was Young and Foolish was published in 2021, but because of Covid, I never really got around to a live launch event. Well here it is! And to celebrate, I will be drawing a free quick sketch in my illustration style for everyone who buys a book. So come to Shrewsbury Library and join in the fun. All three volumes are fully illustrated in colour. Check out my website for more info or for enquiries email; bardsleytart@gmail.com

My new Shropshire book, Bloom Town will also be available

.

Bloom Town book launch at Shrewsbury library, June 1st 2024

 

Bloom Town

 'Bloom Town', published by Yew Tree Press, is my first collection of serious poetry. I explore a wide variety of aspects of my home county, Shropshire, lifting the lid on some of it's many intriguing secrets.

The overall approach is predominantly pastoral in feel and yet there is an urban flavour to this first volume, hence the title, which is taken from my piece set in Shrewsbury, Shropshire's medieval county town. The poem Bloom Town describes Shrewsbury's park and the sunken garden known as the Dingle (a repurposed quarry pit, often referred to as the Quarry). Some of my earliest childhood memories were formed in this evocative Victorian landscape and I am drawn back there constantly.

Locations covered also include the Iron Bridge Gorge, Lyth Hill, the Long Mynd, Wellington, Dawley, Badger, Wenlock Edge, Acton Scott, Bridgnorth, Uffington, Newport, Allscott, Ludlow, Alberbury, the Wrekin and Wem.

Shropshire like any other county in the UK is a rich vein for the poet, having been historically overwritten many times in terms of landscape, architecture and culture. The area is bisected by the Britain's longest river, the Severn, embracing moorland and peak reaching as high as seventeen hundred feet, and more often than not, crowned with the familiar ring ditch configuration of the enigmatic Celtic hill fort. The plains are equally dramatic, irrigated by rich water ways, meres and mosses -  home to a spectacular population of wildlife.

Bloom Town takes a tour of the landscape, stopping to muse on Shropshire's industrial and literary heritage. There are some famous names; 1930s long distance flyer, Amy Johnson who flew gliders on the Long Mynd, Mary Webb well known for her Hardyesque novels and exquisite poetry, Percy Thrower, the most memorable face of the BBC's Gardener's World program - he was the second presenter from 1969 to 1976, and of course the poet Philip Larkin who spent his first three formative working years at the Walker Street Library in Wellington, a place where I also spent many page thumbing hours as a teenager.

Bloom Town is illustrated with my own pencil sketches, some drawn on location others relying on an ever increasing photographic archive. I've tried to hint at things rather than depict too broadly, zooming in on detail in the same way that I hope the verses do.

This volume has 32 pages, is staple bound in silk finished stiff card and contains 21 poems with 21 accompanying monochrome graphite drawings. The water colour cover design uses a Rampion or Rapunzel flower (campanula rapunculus) as a motif and reflects Shropshire's county colours, Yellow-gold and dark blue.

Bloom Town can be ordered directly from Yew Tree Press (just hit the link on my website) or if you have a UK address, you can request a signed copy via bardsleyart@gmail.com, price £6.50 + £1.20 UK p&p. You can also pay via Paypal to the above email.

The Squatters Cottage, currently re-erected on a new site at the Iron Bridge Gorge museum.

 Squatters

We love to put ourselves there,

stooping over humility’s threshold,

drawn to the fire inside.

It does us good – life on a human scale;

two rooms, an eight out of nine survival rate -

notable for the time.

A family content to survive

beneath stones and boughs,

safe in each others arms,

counting themselves wealthy,

imagining themselves free.

When I Was Young and Foolish

 I came up with the title for my book about childhood (chiefly my own) as a tribute, partly to A.A. Milne and Ernest Shepard, the creators of Winnie the Pooh and who also gave us the delightful children's poetry collections, 'When We Were Very Young' and 'Now We are Six', and partly in memory of my Grandfather who was forever warbling snatches of the 1954 melody, 'Young and Foolish' made popular in the 1950s by the likes of Tony Bennet and Dean Martin.

Many of the poems are based on real events. At least 30 of them are very much the tale of my own childhood and others are ideas that were drifting around or came from other peoples experiences. I suppose I could very easily write another volume purely based on school experiences and one day perhaps I will.

The illustrations were tremendous fun to do and researching for some of the detailed elements such as the Corgi Chipperfield Circus lorry, the Apollo Lunar Module, Spitfire and Action Man, brought fond memories flooding back. The photo albums had to come out as well of course.

Incidentally the Chipperfield circus lorry was a cherished toy that I used to great effect in play ground long distance competitions. Toy company Corgi produced an extensive set of circus vehicles in the 1960s, complete with trailers, accessories, clown, monkey, giraffes, lions, etc. 

The closing verse of 'Chipperfield' laments the fact that my favourite truck had long gone the way of most old toys. I am, however delighted to report that recently its replacement came to light in a Shrewsbury antique shop. It even has virtually the same damage that mine had sustained after many high octane junior school contests.

'When I Was Young and Foolish' is a larger format paperback like it's predecessors 'Animal Poems and 'Dogs' and, like them, is also aimed at families in general. My hope is that parents and children can read together, the way my parents did with me when I was very young.

Copies can be ordered from Amazon, just click the book links on my website or if you are ever in my home town of Shrewsbury in the UK, the Raven Bookshop has signed copies.

If you are in the UK and would like to order signed copies you can do so by request at the email address on my website. The UK price is £14.99 + £2.40 p&p and you will get my free book mark too!

'DOGS', new illustrated poetry book

I am delighted to announce the launch of my new humorous book, DOGS which is a look at our best friends via poetry and illustration!
It's a unique view of dog-life and I hope all you lovely pooch-smoochers, Pug-cuddlers and retriever-believers will enjoy it (don't let them lick you too much will you though, it makes me feel a bit queezy!) I know the Wolfman does it but he's got a cast iron immune system, you might not have?

The book is now available from Amazon, price £14.99 (109 pages in glorious full colour and featuring over 50 different dog breeds each with their own comical portrait and poem).

Hint; use the Amazon Look inside feature to preview some of the book's content.