SWINDON’S Festival of Literature could expand into a wider celebration of arts and culture, its founder said.

At an event marking the end of the 25th festival, Matt Holland said it could return as a Swindon spring festival of the arts.

He told the Swindon Advertiser: “Literature would still be at the heart of it, but dance would be in it, drama would be in it, music and song would be in it, we would even have cuisine in it, circus skills, we would have story walks.

“It would just be bringing everything that has the tag culture on it into one festival for Swindon. The Festival of Literature has proved that it can be done, I just want others to join in.”

The Festival of Literature, which has been running since 1994, this year featured more than 50 events.

It came to a close on Saturday night, as circus performer Jacob Hirsch-Holland blew down the spout of a watering can, in a now traditional end to the festival. The final night extravaganza at the Town Hall also featured flamenco music, circus performances and poetry.

Matt said: “I’ve really enjoyed some of the big names. Will Self was brilliant. Peggy Seeger was amazing.

“But for me I’ve been especially pleased with what might be called the hidden gems. One of them was No Petticoats Here by Louise Jordan, stories and songs about unheralded heroine women from the First World War.

“I never thought I would have an event that was about the First World War that was so interesting, so entertaining and so moving. To have all those three things when you’re talking about war and women was remarkable.”

At the 25th festival’s opening, Matt told the Adver that what made the Swindon festival different was its appeal for those who might not normally pick up a book: “I was buying lager at an off-licence in Rodbourne and two people came up to me with scars and tattoos and said to me, ‘You’re the literature bloke, aren’t you? We just want to tell you that we come to one of your things and all you do is talk about sex and death, life and relationships, like we do down at the pub. Keep it up.’”

For Matt, a children and families’ day at Lower Shaw Farm was an example of the festival’s everyman appeal: “We had 250 people, truly from all backgrounds, just enjoying stories, readings and all sorts of activities to do with words outside in the sunshine and indoors, without quite realising they were doing it.

“That’s what was the amazing thing. It wasn’t branded education or literacy. But the secret was they were getting it.”