About

The person behind the acorns

Richard lives in Colwall, near Malvern, where family comes first: his wife Bev, an ever growing family, and a granddaughter who keeps handing him stories worth writing down.

Writing is how he makes sense of things. He writes poetry, meditations and tributes, often about ordinary people whose lives made a quiet, good difference. Underneath most of it is one belief: every life deserves to be seen, and every voice deserves to be heard.

Different work, the same thread: people matter, and so do their stories.

Richard Maddrell, smiling, with swept-back silver hair and a grey jacket

Why the acorn

It grows from what was given away

An oak doesn't keep its acorns. It lets them go, and has no say in where they land. Jays and squirrels carry them off and bury them for later, and the ones they forget become the next oaks. Nobody plans a wood. It grows from what was given away.

That's how these pieces have always travelled. I write something for a friend, they pass it to someone else, and it ends up in places I'll never see. This site is simply a better place to drop them.

Each piece ends with the acorn because each one is small, complete, and meant to leave. If something here meets you where you are, pass it on. That's what it's for.

The same thread

Different work, one belief

The writing sits beside the rest of what Richard does. Each part is connected to the others, and this is where they meet.

Vitalis Leadership and culture Helps leaders and organisations build cultures of honesty, kindness and meaningful work. Visit

Having The Last Word Life stories and companionship Records life stories, preserves voices and offers companionship at the end of life, so nobody leaves without being heard.

The Business Builder Websites for small businesses With a small team of dedicated coders, creates websites quickly for an ever morphing family of small businesses.

The Colwall Clock Where the Colwall Greats begin The village publication where each of the Colwall Greats is published first, before it comes here.

Written with care

Sharing among friends is not the same as publishing to the world

Much of the best writing is about real people: friends, neighbours, family, a granddaughter. So before anything goes public:

Ask about a piece

Anyone named or recognisable is asked first, and can see the piece before it goes live.
They can ask for it to be withdrawn later, even after it is live.
Some pieces stay private, written for one person and kept that way.
Children's stories that involve family are shared only with the family's blessing.