LOWDHAM BOOK FESTIVAL
A community-based literature festival

Michèle Hanson, 2006
photo: Ed Herington

In a few words...

Lowdham Book Festival is a high quality literature festival which also combines the atmosphere of a village fete. The 2006 event attracted around 5, 000 people, plus over 1, 000 took part in our schools' programme. We use marquees, the village hall, the Primitive Methodist Chapel... attracting audiences of up to 300 to each event, ending the week with a huge book fair and masses of free events for adults and children. The organisers are Jane Streeter (The Bookcase in Lowdham) and Ross Bradshaw (Five Leaves Publications).

The situation

Lowdham is a small but thriving village 12 miles from Nottingham. The Festival was initiated by Nottinghamshire County Council's literature officer in partnership with The Bookcase, the village bookshop. In 2006 the Festival became independent of the Council.

The idea

The aim of the project was to run one literature festival in a rural setting. After the first year local opinion was canvassed which indicated that there would be support for an annual book festival, which also included other art forms: 2006 was our seventh year.

Making it happen

The core organisation has been the same since the start: Jane Streeter from The Bookcase and Ross Bradshaw (Ross was the literature officer) as the main programmers, with Mark Gittins looking after everything technical, Ed Herington taking photographs; Jackie Skinner looking after catering. There is no shortage of local suggestions and contacts – local being around the village but also from the informal networks in the Nottinghamshire literature scene.

The Festival has secured a substantial award from the Arts Council through "Grants for the Arts" for 2006-2008 (supporting three Festival years). In 2006 Nottingham Trent University paid for and organised specialist events concerning young adults, and reluctant readers. Warthog Promotions (based in the village) organised some of the music events. Nottinghamshire County Council provided a smaller grant and the work of their Arts and Education officer in helping with the events for children.