Organisers said this year's Devizes Festival was a success, despite lower ticket sales this time.

Final figures will not be known until later this month but committee member Jane Scorer said ticket sales generally held up well, considering that last year’s record box office sales were always going to be hard to beat.

Cafe Scientific proved as popular as ever with all places for the climate change debate and Indian supper snapped up as tickets went on sale, as did those for the Wiltshire Wildlife walk on Morgan’s Hill.

The festival’s origins are in classical music, with an established loyal following who enjoyed a sell out concert by the versatile all girl harpist quartet 4 Girls 4 Harps.

Jenny Eclair, Andy McNab and Dr David Starkey all attracted good turnouts at the Corn Exchange, pews at St Mary’s Church were full for the Bath Camerata Choir and there was a fitting finale provided by Sunday’s hilarious The Only Way is Downton.

Ticket sales were disappointing for Raymondo at the Corn Exchange, and The Whispering Road, in St Mary’s Church. But Fringe events were well attended.

Festival chairman Ian Hopkins, who had surgery on a tumour on his pituitary gland a few weeks before the festival opened, was well enough to attend a number of events.