Battens Solicitors and Battens Solicitors Charitable Trust are the proud sponsor of not just one literary festival, but three.
“Our Trust was established to support local causes and charities, and it is only right that this extends to the arts,”
explains Ceri Stephens of Battens Solicitors.
“Words are incredibly powerful – they can teach, inspire, lift a person’s spirits. It is important we celebrate the works of our literary greats and welcome the new, modern day storytellers because whether they write of fact or of fiction, their work enriches people’s lives every day.”
Battens Charitable Trust has been a regular sponsor of the literary festivals in Sherborne and Dorchester, but this year it has announced that it is the headline sponsor for the Yeovil Literary Festival, too.
“We are delighted that Battens Solicitors are the Headline Sponsor for our 5th Annual Yeovil Literary Festival. To have such a well-respected local firm of solicitors on board shows how the festival has grown over the years. The calibre of our Headline Sponsor and the excellent programme for 2017 will ensure this is our finest festival to date, where patrons can discover enlightening, inspiring and entertaining events.”
Festival Director, Emma Mercer.
What can you expect? A feast of literary treats:
Sherborne, 11-15th October
Amongst the names that appeared at Sherborne Literary Festival were Ben Freeth, the political author whose book Mugabe and the White African was made into an award-winning documentary, Simon Weston, Falklands war veteran, Jonathan Aitken, the former MP and cabinet minister turned author, broadcaster and campaigner, Joshua Levine, historian and author of Dunkirk, and Roger McGough, the poet and host of Radio 4’s Poetry Please. For full details, visit sherborneliterarysociety.com.
Battens was sponsor of Ben Freeth’s talk. Ben made the headlines in 2007 when, together with his farming father in law, Mike Campbell, he took President Mugabe’s government to the Southern African Development Community’s regional court.
Dorchester, 18-22nd October
Speaking at this year’s festival will be Girl with a Pearl Earring author, Tracy Chevalier, who will be talking about her latest book New Boy, Alastair Sawday, who has published a light-hearted memoir about his travels, and journalist and author A.N. Wilson, whose most recent work examines the life of Charles Dickens. To book or view the full line-up, visit dorchesterliteraryfestival.com.
Battens is sponsor of Tracy Chevalier’s talk (Wednesday, 18th October). Tracy grew up in an integrated neighbourhood in Washington DC and attended an elementary school with mostly black pupils. The experience inspired her to write her latest book, New Boy, which is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello.
Yeovil, 26-29th October
Headlining at the Yeovil Literary Festival are Martina Cole, the award-winning crime and adult fiction novelist who has enjoyed more no.1 bestsellers than any other adult fiction author, Christopher Biggins, the much-loved actor of stage and screen, Sarah Millican, the celebrated comedian, and television presenter, Monty Don. For the complete line-up visit yeovilliteraryfestival.co.uk.