Chipping Norton Literary Festival calls it a day after 12 years and 550 events

Organisers announced in October that next month’s talk with Dr Rachel Clarke (December 12) will be the final Chipping Norton Literary Festival event.

The festival was founded in 2012 by bestselling author and former Chipping Norton resident Clare Mackintosh and run by Jenny Dee since 2016.

Since its founding, the festival has welcomed over 1,000 writers to over 550 events and delivered a school programme that reached around 10,000 local students.

Registered as a charity, the festival aimed to provide accessible events and workshops to the residents of Chipping Norton and nearby villages.

The list of well-known authors who have appeared at the festival’s events includes David Baddiel, Armando Iannucci, Prue Leith, Robert Peston, Ian Rankin, Tony Robinson, Lionel Shriver, Reggie Yates and many others.

Alongside the regular speaking events held at venues across the town, the festival’s volunteers also organised a four-day literary festival every April.

Festival director Jenny Dee said: “Bringing an extraordinary range of voices to our small rural town has been a huge pleasure.

“Chipping Norton revelled in the variety of stories, arguments and opinions that we brought to the handsome venues, including the gorgeous theatre, amongst the shops, pubs and cafes.”

The acting chair of trustees for the festival, Liz Sich, said: “The current financial climate and funding challenges have sadly made it impossible to continue to stage an annual festival.

“The trustees would like to pay tribute to and thank the team of volunteers who have worked so hard to make ChipLitFest such a success over the years.”