News
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Sponsor the Festival
We are hugely grateful to our principal sponsor Chubb Bulleid, along with our other regular sponsors, for their continued support of the Festival. Their help enables the Festival to grow and to expand its cultural and educational work in the community that includes a year-round programme of literary activities in local schools and colleges. There…
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Top marks
The Festival’s Education Team brings quite a buzz to book learning with its year-round projects in local schools. These include numerous book donations to school libraries, funding Coram Beanstalk reading helpers in seven local schools, and even organising weekly poems on a postcard being sent to schools by poet A.F. Harrold. This year the team…
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High Sheriff award
Wells Festival of Literature has been granted the High Sheriff of Somerset award for its “great and valuable services to the community”. Janet Montgomery, who is the current High Sheriff of Somerset, presented the award to Festival chairman Richard Manning earlier this month, saying: “The Festival is a real gem of Somerset and you are…
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authors shortlisted
Horatio Clare and Lyse Doucet, who both appeared at this year’s Festival, are on the Nero Book Awards 2025 Non Fiction shortlist. They join two other authors shortlisted in this category – James Fox and Sarah Perry – and the winner will be announced on 13 January 2026. Clare, an award-winning author and journalist, uncovers…
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Festival Success
Stimulating speakers and record ticket sales made the 2025 Festival the best year ever with several authors attracting capacity audiences. Sell-outs included novelist Sebastian Faulks and health guru Tim Spector on the opening night, a literary lunch with gardener Carol Klein, and fascinating stories of Afghanistan by war correspondent Lyse Doucet on the final day.…
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Excitement For Year 6
Adventure mystery writer Sam Sedgman went down a storm at the Festival’s schools-only event, entertaining more than 1,000 Year 6 youngsters. Sedgman, the award-winning author of several series of books, including Adventures on Trains and Isaac Turner Investigates, delighted his young audience with weird and wonderful facts from his stories. Afterwards the children queued excitedly…
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Become A Friend
Join the Festival as a Friend and enjoy the benefits of early booking, discounted ticket prices and an invitation to a special pre-Festival event. Never miss out again on seeing a favourite author – several speakers sold out fast in 2025 – as advance booking for Friends opens a week ahead of general booking. Membership…
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Sponsor the Festival
We need your support. Please join our sponsors in helping the Festival continue its year-round literacy projects in local schools. There are lots of ways that businesses and individuals can help, from sponsoring an event to offering a service. In return sponsors receive a range of benefits including publicity and complimentary tickets. The Festival is…
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Festival Weekend Finale
Online ticket sales close at 3pm today, so be sure to book before then to be sure of a seat. Tickets will then be available on the door at Cedars Hall from 4pm on Friday and all day Saturday for £12.50 each, cash or card. Seats are still available for: Friday 24 October 2.00pm James…
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Reliving Austen In True Style
The 250th anniversary of novelist Jane Austen’s birth will be celebrated by two of her biggest fans on Saturday, the final day of this year’s Festival. If you were one of those sauntering the streets in Regency costume this summer – yes, even in Wells – here’s your chance to find out if you really…
