year 6 Event
at cedars Hall with
Lindsay Galvin
Our Year 6 Author Event is one of the highlights of the year. In previous years it has been led by, amongst others, Ross Montgomery, M.G Leonard, Dan Smith and Maz Evans. In 2024 the bestselling author Lindsay Galvin visited a packed Cedars Hall. Over 3 days Lindsay mesmerised more than 1000 children with her mythical and historical tales of phoenixes, dragons and octopuses. She talked about the experiences which led her to become an author, shared practical ideas on how to write and answered some brilliant questions from the children. After the event she chatted to the children whilst signing hundreds of books.
We were able to fund transport costs and make this event free to all schools, and with a discount from publishers, Macmillan, we sold 1,864 books at £2 each to the children.
Just some of the projects the festival has funded
Theatre Trips
Shepton Mallet Infants and Hemington Primary enjoyed a trip to The Egg in Bath.
We also supported All the World’s Our Playground Festival, in particular the residency programme which brought 6 theatre companies and shows to 10 schools in addition to theatre festivals in Shepton Mallet and St. John’s First School in Frome.
coram beanstalk
We have supported Coram Beanstalk for many years in its work recruiting and training volunteers to work with children to develop confidence and promote a love of reading. Schools who subscribe can access a range of additional services and support. We currently enable over 40 children in 8 local schools to receive this help.
schools bookclub
Reading for pleasure benefits wellbeing, confidence and learning. The Schools Bookclub allows pupils from rural primaries, who love reading, to meet termly and talk about a book of their choice. Lively discussion, differing opinions and listening to others’ perspectives makes for a rewarding and fun afternoon. All the books are funded by WFL and added to the school library.
The Blue School
In their quarterly magazine, ‘Out of the Blue’, The Blue School, Wells dedicated a double-page spread to their library and reading for pleasure. The main feature was the author visits funded by Wells Festival of Literature, where Sue Govett and Tia Fisher captivated Year 8 and 9 pupils with their writing processes, inspirations for their books, and valuable tips on developing their own writing.
Waterstones Visit
Pupils from St Aldhelm’s School, Doulting, visited Waterstones , Wells, recently and had a wonderful time exploring the Children’s Section for books to excite and challenge them. Each child left with their chosen books, all funded by Wells Festival of Literature.
Jasbinder Bilan
“Jasbinder was truly inspirational, I am sure it has benefited the children immensely.”
Class Teacher
Meet one of our schools
“Once again, in 2024, we have appreciated the support of the WFL team, who have been tireless in their mission to enthuse our children to be readers. Their generous funding of the visit of explorer and filmmaker, Matt Dickinson, inspired our pupils to be adventurous in their writing and to aspire to be writers, recorders and adventurers.
Not content with this, the team also helped to fund our Book Vending Machine and donated books towards filling it. This has motivated our children to read even more so that they can win themselves a book by hitting their targets.
As if that weren’t enough, our pupils also got to visit Cedars Hall in Wells to be part of the audience for author Lindsay Galvin’s inspiring talk. As ever, they returned to school with renewed vigour and keen to get writing.
The work of the WFL team is invaluable in facilitating affordable author visits and experiences for local schools, and their passion for the world of books and reading is so evident that it inspires not only the pupils of St. Ben’s but also the staff and parents. A HUGE thank you from our whole school community!”
Piers Ranger – Headteacher St Benedict’s CofE VA Junior School
Piers Ranger – Headteacher St Benedict’s CofE VA Junior School
A Poem written especially for
Wells Festival of Literature
by A. F. Harrold.
I keep my poems short
so they fit into the space
a postcard sets aside
on the backside of its face.
Sometimes readers get confused
and wonder why my odes
always seem to end
with unrhymed postcodes
“I wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU for organising A. F. Harrold to come and visit our school. It was an amazing experience and a great start to the week. I have had so much positive feedback from parents and children and it has been lovely to see so many children walking around with his poetry books.” January 2024
We are looking forward to working with more schools, while continuing to support projects that encourage a love of reading and put even more books into the hands of local children.
We are always happy to hear from schools with ideas which we might help fund.