This year’s Morpeth Book Festival has been hailed as “the best yet”.

Once again organised jointly between Greater Morpeth Development Trust and the Morpeth branch of Northumberland Libraries, the 2026 ‘Weekend of Words’ attracted record audience numbers to see and hear some of the country’s most popular authors talk about and read from their books covering a diverse genre of writing.

Celebrity broadcasters Steph McGovern and Sally Magnusson, stalwart politicians and former Labour government cabinet colleagues Alan Johnson and Chris Mullin, Scottish literary legend Alistair Moffat, multi-selling thriller writer T M Logan and Hugh Mitford Raymond, the last-in-line of the family that owned and ran the estate on the outskirts of Morpeth for nearly 1,000 years, were among the prominent authors who took part in the festival.

In a new festival format development, ex-Newcastle United footballer Paul Ferris talked about his 18 years as a player and physiotherapist at the club at a Thursday evening talk.

Sally Magnusson pictured during a book signing.

placeholder image — Sally Magnusson pictured during a book signing.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the presentation by retired Army Major General Tim Hodgetts of his anthology of poems he wrote as a release from the horrors of conflicts when he led the medical teams at front-line trauma centres in places like Iraq and Afghanistan’s Camp Bastion.

He was assisted in his presentation by three Sixth Form King Edward VI School students, who read aloud some of his poems, and Morpeth singer Eden Webley and 26 members of the Wannie Line Community Choir, who sang the words of poems which have been set to music.

At the close of the festival, its director Frank Rescigno said: “Each year we say that was the best festival yet, but each year we seem to set the bar even higher.

“This year, however, was truly the best yet!

“The appearances of all the authors and writers were outstanding and goodness knows how we are going to follow that next year, but we will.”

Frank also paid tribute to the many volunteers who freely gave up their time over the weekend to help out and to local businesses Zonic Holdings, Rutherfords department store and Maximize Education for their support of the festival.

He added: “Without this great backing, we would simply not be able to stage the book festival. It’s been a wonderful ‘Weekend of Words’ in Morpeth.”