LITERARY FESTIVAL: THE 10th annual Swindon Festival of Literature got off to an early start with a rousing rendition of Sun Arise by more than 150 hardy souls who welcomed in the dawn at Lawn Woods.

Early morning revellers were yesterday treated to a host of entertainments including the performing horses of Giffords Circus, music from Paul the Wynndebagge Man amplified by a bicycle powered sound system, poetry and story telling.

And the surreal scene was made complete by a wandering pair of giants, the Devon Dacres Raventales Giants, who picked their way through the crowd.

Later in the day, performers visited schools and the town's Great Western hospital to spread the literature festival message.

Today's offerings include poetry readings from former teacher and hospital clerk U.A. Fanthorpe who will be appearing at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery at 1pm.

Ms Fanthorpe has written seven volumes of published poetry and is writer in residence at Lancaster University.

She was the first woman to be nominated for the post of Professor of Poetry at Oxford.

And Swindon College will play host to the Clive Brain Memorial Lecture by Dr Ursula Howard at 5pm.

Director of Adult Literacy and Numeracy at London University's Institute of Education, Dr Howard will be exploring the meaning of Literacy and Life and its relevance to modern day living.

An international evening at the Town Hall at 7.30pm will feature Nigerian author Ben Okri who reads from his latest novel In Arcadia.

He will be joined by Polish poet Anita Debska, South American singers Graciela Carmona and Michael Alvarez and poet and singer Aidan Dun.

One of the countries key contemporary philosophers, John Gray will be at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery at 7.30pm where he will be heading a philosophical debate.

For more information about the festival, look inside our Out! Theatre guide today.