Marlborough LitFest aims to encourage a love of reading in children and young people in the local area. As well as a number of free, outreach events for local primary and secondary schools hosted by the festival in 2022, LitFest also offers children’s events for all ages during the weekend:
FREE CHILDREN’S LITFEST EVENTS
Local schoolchildren from Marlborough St Mary’s primary school will officially launch LitFest 2022 with a musical performance outside the Town Hall in Marlborough on Thursday 29 September. Later in the afternoon, sixth-formers from St John’s Academy in Marlborough will hold a debate in the Town Hall on the subject of love and jealousy in literature (4pm – 5.30pm, tickets required but free event).
LitFest is passionate about encouraging a love of reading in children and provides a number of annual free outreach events with children’s authors to local schools. This year 17 local primary schools will be hosted by the festival in Marlborough and Pewsey locations with children’s authors Maz Evans (author of the Vi Spy and the Who Let the Gods Out series) and Catherine Johnson (author of historical novel Freedom and true story Race to the Frozen North). LitFest hosts an annual Big School Read for local secondary school children, held at St John’s Academy in Marlborough. The 2022 Big School Read author is Simon James Green, one of the UK’s leading writers of LGBTQ+ teen fiction, whose books include Gay Club!, Sleepover Takeover and You’re the One That I Want.
LITFEST CHILDREN’S TICKETED EVENTS
FRIDAY 30 SEPTEMBER
Learn how bestselling children’s author Jacqueline Wilson started her writing career (she wrote her first novel at just nine years old!) and how she created some of her best-loved characters. Dame Jacqueline’s sequel to Enid Blyton’s ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ was published earlier this year. She will share her writing tips with the Marlborough audience and talk about her latest book, Project Fairy. Event kindly sponsored by St Francis School, Pewsey. Age 7+
6pm, Memorial Hall, Marlborough College: Adults £7.50/children £5
SATURDAY 1 OCTOBER
Little ones will be treated to an hour of fun with award-winning author and illustrator, Morag Hood. Featuring interactive storytelling and live drawing, under-fives will hear all about the antics of Duck and Tiny Horse, who star in ‘Spaghetti Hunters’ and Hood’s latest picture book, ‘Teapot Trouble’. Everyone can take part in the draw-along, creating a teapot and a mysterious creature to live in it! Age Under 5s
10am and 11.30am, The White Horse Bookshop: £5 adults/under 5’s free
SUNDAY 2 OCTOBER
Looking for adventure? Want to be a hero? Step inside the Story Shop! Join award-winning children’s author, Tracey Corderoy, who will be chatting about The Story Shop: Blast Off!, where the perfect adventure awaits every customer. There’ll be a space game and some interactive drawing too. Age 5-8 years.
2.30pm, St Mary’s Church Hall, Marlborough: Adults £5/children £5
Marlborough LitFest runs an annual competition with local primary schools. This year 16 local schools took part in the Platinum Jubilee-themed competition, which invited children to write a story using words or pictures, about the theme of ‘The Day the Queen Came to Stay’. Judging is now underway and six prizes of £25 book tokens from The White Horse Bookshop will be given to the winning entries, courtesy of sponsor Haine & Smith, the opticians in Marlborough. Prizes will be given out during the LitFest weekend.
LitFest would like to thank its sponsors for 2022: lead sponsor Sarah Raven, main event sponsor Hiscox Insurance, and event sponsors William Golding Limited, Robert Hiscox, Adam Matthew Digital, St Francis School, Marlborough College, Marlborough.news and Hamilton Trust, as well as our patron Sir Simon Russell Beale, and partners Katharine House Gallery, Haine & Smith Opticians, The White Horse Bookshop and Wiltshire Life for their continued support for the festival.