Church magazine apologises after readers offended by poems about migrants, benefits cheats and fat people

Fintan Starkey
Sat, 11 Apr 2026 08:01:45 +0000

A village church magazine on the Devon-Dorset border has been compelled to issue an apology following outrage over poetry targeting illegal immigrants, those claiming benefits and overweight individuals.

Diana Hunt had been a regular contributor to the Uplyme Parish News, a free monthly publication serving approximately 1,700 residents.

Her verses typically appeared alongside horticultural society updates and news from the bellringers at St Peter and St Paul Church, offering observations on village life.

However, the poet's recent shift towards politically charged subject matter provoked a swift backlash from readers.

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The controversy has left the community divided, with some defending Ms Hunt's right to express her views while others deemed the content wholly unsuitable for a Christian publication.

The March edition featured a poem titled 'Know It All' which criticised those receiving state support. Ms Hunt wrote: "From politics to climate change and other world events, to how much money in benefits to scroungers have been sent."

The verse continued with lines mocking people who claim they cannot heat their homes whilst owning expensive mobile phones, and described overweight individuals who "could live quite easily on their body fat for weeks."

Her April follow-up, 'Broken Britain', addressed drug dealing on high streets and Channel crossings. She penned: "Boat loads of illegals flooding to our shores, step this way for hotel rooms and benefits galore."

The poem also questioned why asylum seekers arriving by small boat did not simply travel by plane given the expense of their journeys.

Robin Hodges, who has edited the parish magazine for a quarter of a century, received three complaints about the poems.

He swiftly apologised, acknowledging the subject matter was inappropriate for a church publication, and committed to addressing the matter in the May edition.

The editor removed the controversial issues from the church website and confirmed Ms Hunt's poetry would no longer feature in the magazine.

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Despite these actions, Mr Hodges maintained he was not engaging in censorship.

"It was a lapse of judgement on my part which I regret," he told the Mail. "I have been in contact with Diana via email and she was really sad that people took it the wrong way."

He added: "I take full responsibility for it and I don't blame her at all."

Resident David Michael, one of those who lodged complaints, said: "There is no place in a Christian parish magazine for the sentiments expressed in the poem."

He added: "People are indeed entitled to their own opinions and mine are that uncharitable poetry and sentiments don't have a place in a parish magazine."

Martin Satherley posted online that regardless of whether one agreed with the author, such controversial opinions were not something he would expect in a parish publication.

However, others rallied to Hunt's defence on social media.

Lee Saunders accused critics of "actively demonising and persecuting a member of your very small community."

Matt Harrington commented that the 'Broken Britain' poem "sounds pretty true to me."

It is understood Ms Hunt intended the verses as tongue-in-cheek rather than a genuine reflection of her personal views.