A celebration of poetry, of music and of the independent bookshops that you still find in cities, towns and villages across Britain, this ambitious tour brings together the poets laureate of Wales, Scotland and Britain, with the 'global laureate' (so Dharker is named by Duffy). If the huge sense of warmth, fun and passion which enveloped this reading is anything to go by, the road trip must be a blast!

And the reading opened with a blast: the solo heraldic fanfare of John Sampson. His musical interludes, humour and astounding talent provided the glue that bound the event together. My only concern is whether the poets are going to get a bit too used to their individual introductory fanfares!

Gillian Clarke, the outgoing Welsh national poet, read a range from 'Daughter' - her poem for missing child April Jones - to 'Six Bells'. Her ability to make an event feel so intensely personal is perhaps what stood out to me most.

Bernard O'Donoghue added a reading that was in large part elegy to colleagues, friends and to Oxford. However, perhaps his most outstanding to me was the haunting 'Iron Age Boat at Caumatruish'.

Jackie Kay almost raised a riot with her 'Planet Farage (or Extinction)' and particularly ad-libbing extras! Her affectionate tales of her Dad's improvisation and becoming the 'poet laminate' to Duffy's poet laureate belied her own treasured position as the new Makar (national poet of Scotland).

I had not encountered Imiataz Dharker's work before. A performer of gentle persuasiveness who captivated the audience with her opening piece 'Over the Moon', Dharker was varied in tone and pace. In common with Clarke, her ability to personalise the choices and judgements made is quite stunning. 'One Word' ran seamlessly from terrorist to freedom fighter; guerrilla fighter to martyr and finally to the one word: child.

And finally to the ever brilliant Carol Ann Duffy. Opening with her indignation that we should be told to drop counties from postal addresses, and pausing for the audience on her final line:

'But I want to write the names of the Counties down

for my own child

and may they never be lost to her …

all the birds of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire…', the poet laureate had us eating from her hand.

The context around many of the poems, told with a perfectly dry humour, had the audience in stitches. Probably none more so than Mrs Schofield's GCSEs a blazing riposte to the invigilator who saw to it that one of Duffy's poems was excluded from an exam syllabus for knife references. 'I wrote it about the hopelessness many felt at time Meryl Streep was Prime Minister'.

'The 2012 Liverpool', written on the publication of the independent report into Hillsborough reflects not just Duffy's affection for the city, but her deep humanity that sees 'not just a matter of football, but of life'.

Recent events undoubtedly coloured the reading, giving a fresh meaning to words penned about past events and moments. The timelessness of the verse, the great generosity of spirit of the poets and the warmth and intimacy of the event was pretty much perfect.

I can only marvel at the opportunity to have witnessed such stunning talent gathered together.