The first Literary Festival in Marlborough has been such a success that it is sure to became an annual fixture on the town’s calendar, said its principal organiser, author Mavis Cheek.

It was one of the 14 visiting authors, best-selling novelist Margaret Drabble, who reminded Friday’s launch at the town hall that the literary festival was not new but has just taken more than 20 years to get off the ground.

Miss Drabble reminded her sell-out audience of nearly 200 that she had visited Marlborough before, 22 years earlier, when the town held a festival of the arts, literature and music.

All that had survived from that festival in 1988 was the music element, which has grown into the Marlborough International Jazz Festival.

Mrs Cheek said: “The inaugural festival was a huge success. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was a much greater success than we had hoped for or expected, this being its first year.

“There were 15 events in all. The amount of work, late night meetings, hair tearing and soul searching that went into getting this festival up and running for those 15 events was awesome.

“But authors we approached said yes immediately and the core committee members who put in the work – Jo Del Mar, Kay Newlands, John Sykes, Amelia Trevethick, Jan Williamson – made it happen.”

Roma Tearne, who was born in Sri Lanka and now lives in Oxford, told the organisers it was the best festival of the many she had attended. Mrs Cheek said: “It is the emphasis on good writing and looking after the authors who come that seems to set the Marlborough festival apart.

“Lynn Barber on Saturday night was a very happy speaker – again the assembly room was packed out, and during the day The Merchant’s House audiences for such authors as Rachel Polonsky and Tim Dee talking about their books on such diverse topics as Russia and birdwatching exceeded all expectations.”

Events were also held at St John’s Theatre on the Hill, Marlborough College and the library.

Authors ranged from children’s writers to biographers, authors of historical works and poets.

A poetry café held in the town hall on Sunday morning was popular with more than a dozen poets reading out their work.