ORGANISERS of the Marlborough Litfest are celebrating after the lead sponsor has announced it will be supporting the festival for the next three years.

Brewin Dolphin in Marlborough has agreed to provide the festival with another three years of sponsorship, having been the lead sponsor for the past five years.

Jan Williamson, chairman of the Marlborough Litfest, said: “We are so grateful to Brewin Dolphin for their continuing support. They have been with us from the very beginning and without them Litfest wouldn’t have got off the ground. It makes a big difference to know we have their support for the next three years.”

The continued support of Brewin Dolphin for the next three years ensures the festival can move forward and plan for forthcoming festivals with a degree of stability. It is through the sponsorship that the charitable organisation can continue to manage its budget so it can pay its attending authors.

Myles Palmer, divisional director at Brewin Dolphin, said: “We, as an office, are delighted to continue our sponsorship of this very successful Litfest. The event has grown in popularity and is now an important fixture in people’s calendars. We would like to thank the committee for all their hard work on organising the weekend.

“Brewin Dolphin is committed to helping, where possible, with local culture, in the same way as we are committed to provide bespoke advice to our clients.”

This year’s festival has already started taking shape with highly anticipated guests such as Michael Morpurgo, author and historian Tom Holland and bestselling international crime writer, Peter James, over the weekend of September 30-October 2.

The festival has just announced it has signed one of Britain’s foremost Shakespearean actors, Simon Russell Beale, who will help celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. After a 20-year gap from the Royal Shakespeare Company, the critically acclaimed actor of stage and screen, will be appearing at the Litfest at 5.45pm on October 2 at Marlborough Town Hall.

Mrs Williamson said: “We’re very excited and feel extremely lucky that Simon Russell Beale has agreed to come to Marlborough Litfest and help us celebrate Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary. He is one of the great Shakespearean actors of our time and has local connections to the area."

The programme is still being put together but in its sixth year Marlborough Litfest will offer a mix of fiction, non-fiction and new authors.

For further information on the upcoming festival visit www.marlboroughlitfest.org. Tickets will be going on sale in July.