Book festival boost for village
APPLEDORE has reacted positively to a decline in their village's fortunes by confirming their plans to launch a book festival next autumn.
The Appledore Book Festival - to be staged between September 29 and October 7 - will be centred around Appledore's closure-threatened library and will give visitors a rare opportunity to buy and sell books and talk to authors and illustrators about their work. There will be be readings, poetry and musical interludes.
Although based in Appledore the festival will also stage events in Bideford, Northam and Torrington.
Madeleine Hutchings, a member of the book festival committee, said: "Because of Appledore's position on such a stunning estuary we will stress our maritime heritage and, as everyone's heritage is also the young, books for children will be a large part of the fun of the festival.
"The whole idea is well worth making a song and dance about so we will have music as well as words.
"We all know about the West Country's literary past - Kingsley, Kipling, Williamson and Jerome K Jerome are all linked with this area and to some degree with water."
The collapse of Appledore Shipyard and closure of the village post office and ferry plus the threat to the library may have dented local spirits but the community is fighting back.
Nick Arnold, chairman of the book festival comittee, said: "The Appledore Book Festival is an expression of hope in our troubled community. This is Appledore saying we're not going to roll over and die. We're going to plan things for a better future.
"We hope the Appledore Book Festival will play a major part in the regeneration of North Devon. We hope to see an influx of visitors right at the end of the summer season which would be a wonderful opportunity for our local traders.
"The Book Festival proposal has been welcomed by North Devon Chamber of Commerce and Torridge and West Devon MP Geoffrey Cox. Our committee is up and running and the authors have already been booked."
The book festival committee anticipates that the event will attract visitors from all over the South West.
Mr Arnold added: "We hope that it will develop each year until it is like the Hay on Wye Festival.
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