Tickets go on sale for inaugural Alnwick Story Fest

Authors including LJ Ross and Ann Cleeves have been lined up in what, it is hoped, will establish Alnwick as the story town of the north.

Others on the programme include the BBC's Dr Janina Ramirez, author and presenter of Raiders of the Lost Past; Dan Jackson, Liz Allard and Michael Chaplin along with Michael Booth and Michael Heppell, Davina McCall’s life coach.

From February 24-26, workshops will be available for people to learn new skills, explore new career options and have some fun while meeting some of Northumberland’s most well-known writers, film makers, artists and photographers.

The workshops offer a range of creative ideas, some people based around writing, others about film and others about arts and crafts.

Some of Alnwick’s most creative venues are being used to host the workshops.

Alnwick Castle, Alnwick Garden (and Treehouse), Bailiffgate Museum, The Accidental Bookshop, Barter Books and Alnwick Playhouse are opening their doors to welcome the fest, and have all teamed up as sponsors.

Suzy Walker, journalist and organiser, said: “It’s been a tough old time recently and Alnwick is hosting our very first Story Fest to bring our community and visitors together to have fun, make new friends, read books, watch films, listen to writers, poets, film makers and hunker down with stories we love.

“Our theme this year is ‘transformation’ and our weekend festival is full of interactive events exploring and celebrating stories that uplift and inspire and light up our lives in dark times.”

The organisers behind the event have four main aims for the weekend; to create community events that inspire, uplift and are delightfully entertaining, to ignite the imagination of our residents and visitors to be more creative with ‘how to workshops’, to encourage flourishing mental health and to bring new visitors to Alnwick in the darker months.

Tickets are now available for all workshops, which range from £8 to £55. The fest is also offering workshops for children, who must be accompanied by a paying adult at £5 per ticket. Visit http://www.alnwickstoryfest.com