We are so excited to announce that we are sponsoring Val McDermid at this year’s Stratford Literary Festival so save the date - 3 May 2024 7:30pm - 8:30pm.

Val McDermid has sold over 19 million books to date across the globe and has been translated into more than 40 languages.

In her latest book, Queen Macbeth you are taken to the depths of 11th century Scotland, where you meet Gruoch Ingen Boite, a granddaughter of the king, caught up in a web of vicious intrigue. Set against a dramatic highland backdrop, one of the country’s most beloved and bestselling crime writers weaves a tale of marriage and multiple murder, showing how one strong, charismatic woman, shaped by hard times, was able to survive - and thrive - amidst the endless plotting of a succession of ruthless and ambitious men. Overturning Shakespeare's propaganda, she’ll introduce a new Lady Macbeth, bringing a schemer in the shadows out into the light and exposing the patriarchal prejudices of history

Val is a global success story and we feel honored to be sponsoring her. Watch this space for further updates and the chance to WIN tickets in our Spring Newsletter out soon! We can’t wait to meet up with her.

The Spring Stratford Literary Festival runs from the 1st - 5th May at The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford upon Avon. For more information call the Box Office on 0333 666 3366 or visit the Stratford Literary Festival to view the full programme.  

This year we’re also sponsoring Patrick Grant at the Stratford Literary Festival - a familiar face across the nation thanks to his role on the popular BBC reality programme, that has been running since 2013.

The ‘Prince of Fashion’, best known for his role as judge of the BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee, built his business from total obscurity to become a dresser of the stars, a friend of the King, and a leader in the fashion industry. He’ll share his love for clothes but dislike of the way they’re made, and everything wrong with the three trillion-dollar fashion industry today that accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, with UK consumers spending over £30b on clothing each year, but less than 2% of it is made here. And he’ll share how we can put it right.

To find out more 

We are very proud to annouce that we are Lead Sponsors for the Stratford Literary Festival for 2024. The festival gives the community a chance to hear from some great writers, get involved in workshops and dive into topics they might not have otherwise considered.

Along with delivering the festivals every year, the Stratford Literary Festival is a charity that works throughout the year to help young children have access to books and carry out bedtime story writing workshops in prisons.

In 2023 they visited schools across our region and inspired over 1000 children with workshops and author events.

Schools they have visited include:

• Alveston Primary, Stratford
• Bridgetown Primary, Stratford
• Coten End Primary School, Warwick
• Moseley Primary School, Coventry
• Our Lady of the Magnificat, Redditch
• Quinton Primary School
• Templars Primary School, Coventry
• Welcombe Hills Special School, Stratford
• Plus a free event for toddlers at Stratford Library

In 2023 they took their hugely successful workshops into 6 prisons, helping over 50 prisoners write a story for their children The aim of the workshop is to create a story written by each prisoner that their children will enjoy and which will help to lessen the trauma of their absence from their lives. They work with children's authors Hollie Hughes and Smriti Halls, and writer Patrick Kincaid.

Prisons visited include:

• HMP Belmarsh
• HMP Lincoln
• HMP Thameside
• HMP Wandsworth

We are delighted to be supporting the Stratford Literary Festival once again in its Autumn season.

Clive Myrie will talking about his latest book Everything is Everything on Friday 27 October 7.15pm at The Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Subtitled A Memoir of Love, Hate and Hope, the newsreader, Mastermind presenter and war reporter charts a career from paper rounds in Bolton to the pinnacle of news broadcasting, reflecting on race, class and how he refuses to be defined by his background. He'll talk about how his family history has influenced his view of the world, and on how being black has affected his perspective on issues he's encountered in 30 vears reporting on some of the biggest stories of our time, most recently from Ukraine.

The Stratford Literary Festival is a registered charity with aims to encourage a love of books and writing, and to use books and writing to educate, improve well-being and increase the life skills that reading and writing can bring. 

Stratford Literary Festival

We were very excited to again support the Stratford Literary Festival.

We sponsored Tim Marshall - The Future of Geography: How Power and Politics in Space Will Change Our World which took place on Wednesday 3 May 2023 5:45pm at The Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Spy satellites, space metals, people on Mars within the next ten years. This isn't science fiction. It's astropolitics and soon what happens in space will shape human history as much the mountains, rivers and seas have on Earth. The best-selling author of Prisoners of Geography gives us a vision of what global politics will look the next 50 years and shows why it's no coincidence that Russia, China and the USA are leading the way. All delivered with the insight and wit that have made Marshall the UK's most popular writer on geopolitics.

The Stratford Literary Festival is a registered charity with aims to encourage a love of books and writing, and to use books and writing to educate, improve well-being and increase the life skills that reading and writing can bring. 

Stratford Literary Festival

We proudly sponsored Dame Stephanie 'Steve' Shirley's Let It Go: My Extraordinary Story event, which took place on Sunday 13th November 2022, 2pm at The Crowne Plaza Hotel.

In 1962, Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley created a software company when the concept of software barely existed, employing women to work from home on complex projects such as Concorde’s black box recorder. She empowered a generation of women in technology, giving them unheard of freedom to choose their own hours and manage their own workloads. She gradually transferred ownership to her staff, creating 70 millionaires in the process. Meet this extraordinary entrepreneur and philanthropist as she charts her incredible personal story including her dramatic arrival in England as an unaccompanied Kindertransport refugee during World War II and the tragic loss of her only child who suffered severely from autism.

We were excited to be part of this long standing festival and to sponsor what was an inspiring and fascinating talk.

Stratford Literary Festival

Morgan Jackson started playing golf at the age of 11, but by 16 he was playing for Warwickshire County Golf and Warwickshire County Cricket. He had to decide on career path and dedicate his efforts to one sport. Morgan chose golf which he found more enjoyable. In truth he found the process of team selection for Cricket too stressful. Morgan was born and raised locally attending, Stratford upon Avon High School, and Henley College to study Sports & Science, he went on to a PGA degree in conduction with Belfry Golf and Birmingham University. Morgan turned pro golfer at the age of 22. 

For a couple of years we supported Morgan's career and made sure his sight was looked after, which is very important for anyone but especially a professional sports person.

Morgan offers high level Golf Coaching at The Welcombe Golf Club or Warwickshire Golf Indoor Simulator; you can follow him on social media @mjacksongolf