Poet Char March is working with NHS research policy makers to put together a creative map of the Health of the North – and is looking for health poems to put on the map.

She said: “As usual with this sort of call for poems, there's is nowt in it for you in terms of dosh, but there is the utter glory of having your work published (in the online map) and we're very happy to put on details of your latest publication and/or your website.

“If you do send us poem(s), we'll take it as read that we have your permission to use them on the creative map, to edit them as our designers see fit (eg possibly just quote a few lines from them) and to also to use quoted lines from them on our website - to entice people to go and view the whole map.”

Char and the rest of the team are looking for poems about the “juicy myths and stereotypes – and truths – about bad health in t’north”. Ageing, cancer, heart, genetics, infection and immunity, mental health, skin, stroke, stem cells and primary care are just some of the subjects they are interested in. The deadline for poems is 28 February. They should be sent as Word attachments to luke.robinson@northwest.nhs.uk