Retford Book Festival will return for its second year from Saturday 6th June to Sunday 14th June, with events taking place at venues across the town. Organisers say the varied programme offers something for everyone.
This year, the festival is funding events for children in 15 primary schools, almost doubling last year’s total of eight schools. Illustrator Liz Million and poet Paul Cookson will lead sessions, allowing more children than ever to experience the festival. The first school event will be officially opened by the mayor and the town crier.
A recent fundraising evening at St Saviour’s Church featured renowned poet Roger McGough and attracted almost 200 people. The evening combined poetry and anecdotes, finishing with a performance of Lily the Pink, co-written by Roger, alongside the Retford Ukulele Band. The festival’s main venue, Grove Street Methodist Church, has also supported the event through fundraising coffee mornings to help cover festival costs.
Festival Chair Julia Kitchen said: “We are a group of volunteers who took on the challenge last year of creating a book festival for Retford. It was much easier to book authors this year because we already had a successful festival behind us. We were surprised that some authors approached us wanting to be involved. Retford is a small town punching above its weight and is definitely now on the book festival map.”
She also thanked local organisations, businesses and individuals for their support and encouraged people to attend at least one event during the festival.
Further information can be found on Facebook, Instagram and at http://www.retfordbookfestival.co.uk.