POET laureate Simon Armitage has celebrated the launch of his new poetry book with pupils from four secondary schools in Cornwall.

The book, entitled Dwell, has been inspired by the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey.

Simon visited the gardens as part of the official launch of the book and shared his curiosity and love for all living things in a poetry workshop with pupils from Poltair School and Penrice Academy in St Austell, as well youngsters from the Roseland Academy at Tregony and Fowey River Academy.

Three installations featuring carvings and etchings of Simon’s poems were also unveiled at the tourist attraction during the poet laureate’s visit.

A slate boulder, a pond and an oak wood tunnel symbolise a hedgehog’s hibernation retreat, the underwater home of aquatic creatures and a fox’s den.

The installations are part of a year-long collaboration between the 200-acre estate and the poet who has used riddle and folklore in his work to celebrate the diversity of the various Heligan habitats.

Simon has paid many visits to the attraction, where he has got caught up in the rich biodiversity of the gardens and imagined the bustling realm of unseen creatures.

Simon said: “It is the responsibility of everybody to do something in relation to nature. We are at a real tipping point now with extinction, climate change and particularly loss and damage of habitat, which is why I wanted to celebrate Heligan as a place that holds nature intact.

“Working with Heligan has been a kind of dream. I got lost in the Lost Gardens, made poems like little dens and treehouses, and didn’t want to be found. As with all poems, I just want people to look at the world in a slightly different way, to join with the wonder of it.”

Lost Gardens of Heligan managing director Laura Smit Chesterfield said: “Heligan is home to a myriad of habitats – some known, some hidden and mysterious. They all play an important part in our fragile ecosystem, and we honour this by taking care to nurture and protect them.

“From Simon’s very first visit, he not only understood this, but wanted to celebrate each and every one, finding the magnificence below rocks and among burrows. Dwell is a joyful discovery, and we are proud to give it a home at Heligan through these delightful installations.”

Simon will be returning to the Lost Gardens of Heligan for the inaugural Heligan Homecoming Festival which runs on June 13 to 22.

A spokesperson for the attraction said: “During the festival, passionate poetry lovers can enjoy an evening of literary heaven with both the poet laureate and Pascale Petit.

“As well as poetry, the Homecoming line-up features acclaimed musicians and Mercury Prize nominees Seth Lakeman and Gwenno, top comedians Dawn French and Edward Rowe (well known in Cornwall as Kernow King) and fascinating conversations with guests including leading chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and academic and author Merlin Sheldrake.

“Visitors to Heligan can also experience a new wildlife exhibition about the animals that feature in Dwell.”