Tom Stocks, a poet from Hawkley Hall, Wigan — better known by his creative moniker The Chubby Northerner — has been capturing hearts and inspiring minds across Greater Manchester with a unique and uplifting initiative: Pavement Poetry.

For the past 50 consecutive days, Tom has taken to the streets to share verses of hope, humour, and healing, chalking short poems directly onto pavements in towns and cities across the region. His words — often focused on themes of mental health, positivity, and everyday joy — have sparked a wave of goodwill, with passersby pausing to read, reflect, and share the messages online.

“I wanted to spread joy and positivity. We all have our good days & bad days, so I just hope if they are seen by someone on a bad day it just makes that day a little bit brighter. Also, I feel poetry gets a bit of a bad rep amongst the everyday person for being too artsy fartsy and they won’t understand it or it won’t resonate with them, I say this because I was literally exactly the same. It’s all about finding the right voice and what speaks to you. Last year I did positive poetry scrolls where I left notes of poetry around on public transport, benches, cafes, bars, etc to help spread some positivity, this year it’s Pavement Poetry!”

And it’s worked. His heartfelt and sometimes humorous lines have gone viral, with lots of people photographing the poems and posting them across platforms like Instagram and Twitter, tagging The Chubby Northerner and praising the unexpected moments of inspiration.

A recent poem, found outside a Manchester tram stop, read:
“The clouds might linger, the rain might pour,
But brighter days are worth waiting for.”

From Wigan town centre to the backstreets of Chorlton and the squares of Salford, Stocks’ Pavement Poetry has resonated with all ages. Supporters have even started mapping where his poems appear, hoping to stumble upon one during their daily routine.

With mental health at the core of his creative mission, Stocks is using poetry to challenge stigma and open up conversations in a gentle, relatable way. His mix of sincerity and wit — along with his self-deprecating stage name — makes his work approachable and refreshing.

Tom continued, “The response has been incredible, the messages I’ve received have been so overwhelming. People have been so open too from people opening up about bereavements, breaks ups, baby scans, bad mental health days, the list goes on, but the amount of people getting in touch saying how just a few of my silly little scribbles have helped so many people is just crazy but also so heart-warmingly beautiful.”

As for what’s next, The Chubby Northerner says he’s only just getting started. “I’ll keep going as long as people need it or the weather holds up I guess. I got to 100 days with my positive poetry scrolls last time so maybe around there again? I’m not sure. This is already day 50 so it’s absolutely flown by.”

Today, 4th June, marks a major milestone — the 50th consecutive day of the Pavement Poetry project. To celebrate, The Old Courts in Wigan have partnered with The Chubby Northerner to honour the occasion. At 7am this morning, Tom marked the moment by chalking five original poems around the entrances of The Old Courts, adding a vibrant splash of poetry to the town’s cultural heart but he isn’t stopping there. He’s on a mission to chalk 50 poems across Wigan and Manchester, in one day, to create a poetry trail for everyone to enjoy. The collaboration reflects the growing support for his mission to brighten daily life through the power of words.

Jonny Davenport, Artistic Director at The Old Courts said: “Tom is one of those artists that makes it his business to bring a bit of cheer to others. Not for any other reason than spreading a bit of positivity through the arts. We’re always gonna be behind that and we love to get behind anything that promotes creativity.”

You can follow his journey and find his latest poetic footprints on Instagram at [@TheChubbyNortherner] and across social media under the hashtag #PavementPoetry.