ORGANISERS of this year’s Burnley Literary Festival say the event attracted double the number of visitors and was a huge success.

The four-day festival included 66 events spread mainly around Burnley and Padiham town centres, most of them free to attend.

More than 2,000 people enjoyed everything from street theatre and story-telling to readings and creative workshops, doubling visitor numbers from last year.

Burnley and Padiham town centre manager Catherine Price, who helped organise the festival, said: “Burnley Literary Festival is going from strength to strength. It showcases creativity and imagination and appeals to people of all ages. We all still love a good story it seems.”

Particularly popular for children and families were Whale Tales, Booster Cushion Theatre's Old McDonald and the Three Pigs Plus, Storytelling Day, the How to be a Witch or a Wizard workshops on Burnley Market and the outdoor creative workshops.

Also well attended were some of the author talks like Alice Broadway at Burnley College, and the interactive talks such as Mid Pennine Arts' Searching for a Factory Girl, Anarchist Poets and Burnley Wood Communes, and the Sylvia Plath talk and workshop.

The literary festival was funded by Arts Council England and the Stocks Massey Fund with support from town centre partners including Charter Walk shopping centre, Burnley Central Library, Burnley College and town centre venues.