About Us
The Origins of the Festival
Ilkley Literature Festival began in 1973, the brainchild of Michael Dawson, first Director of the newly formed Yorkshire Arts Association. During the 1971 postal strike, the lack of any new mail gave him the space to browse through a stack of brochures from arts festivals across the country. To his surprise he discovered that only Cheltenham staged a literary festival and that that there was nothing of the kind in the North and he set about instituting a new Literature Festival in Ilkley, his home town.
After two years of planning and fund raising, the first Festival was launched by W.H. Auden in April 1973, in one of the poet’s last public appearances. At first biennial, the Festival became a regular yearly event by 1988, going from strength to strength. Over the last thirty five years innumerable famous authors have passed through its doors – from international figures and Nobel prize winners to poets like Ted Hughes and Benjamin Zephaniah. There have been residencies, literary walks, discussions, commissions, workshops, exhibitions, performances & moments of high drama.
The Festival Today
Today the Festival is held over a two week period at the start of October in this miniature Victorian spa town at the foot of Ilkley Moor - surrounded by beautiful countryside – but only fifteen minutes from Leeds Bradford airport and a stone’s throw from Haworth, Harrogate, Leeds and Bradford. The Festival is supported by Arts Council England Yorkshire, West Yorkshire Grants and Bradford Metropolitan Council who also provide the Festival with two tiny offices in a listed Victorian cottage on the site of a Roman Fort in the grounds of the Manor House Museum.
Skipton Building Society is the Festival’s headline sponsor, with Spellman Walker sponsoring the Festival print, and a range of other business and educational partners supporting specific events.
Each year more than 180 events take place in a variety of venues across the town, from a well equipped modern studio theatre for 150 at Ilkley Playhouse, to the large function rooms at the imposing Craiglands Hotel and the ornate Grade 2 listed early nineteenth century King’s Hall, with its gilded boxes and balconies, seating 500.
The Children’s Festival has a home at the newly built All Saints C of E Primary School and other events take place at St Margaret’s Church Hall, Otley Courthouse Arts Centre and the Education Room of the Manor House Museum. There are projects and residencies involving local schools and community organisations across the town and a lively Fringe that squashes into any venue it can find.
As J.B. Priestly said, when he wrote in support of the very first Festival:
‘Ilkley is the right size for a Festival town…large enough to provide various amenities and small enough to stroll around and run into everybody.’
Who We Are
Ilkley Literature Festival is a Charitable Company limited by guarantee, with a voluntary Board:
Ilkley Literature Festival Board 2011
Chair – Simon Ashberry
Vice Chair - Ellen Thorpe
Treasurer – Erica Below
Company Secretary - Louise Connacher
Mandy Oates
Nigel Walsh
Jenny Batters
Mandy Sutter
Jim Wolton
Geraldine Woodhouse
Children’s Festival Patron: John Cunliffe
The Festival is run by a permanent team year round who are joined by around 25 freelance staff at Festival time:
Festival Director – Rachel Feldberg
Writer, arts project manager and former theatre director, Rachel Feldberg has been with the Festival since January 2003 and works part time for the Festival year round.
Festival Manager – Gail Price
Festival Manager Gail Price formerly worked for Harrogate International Festival and came to Ilkley in February 2004. Gail works part time for the Festival year round.
Marketing and Sponsorship - Abbey Vale
Volunteers Coordinator – Abbey Vale
Abbey worked in marketing in London before coming to live and work in Ilkley. Alongside her coporate roles, she honed her volunteer organising skills with Crisis at Christmas for a number of years, hence her double role at the Festival.
Audience Development and Outreach – Dawn Cameron
Dawn has worked on exciting audience development projects across the North of England and brings a wealth of experience to the Festival
Admin Assistant – Laura Beddows
During her time studying at Leeds University, Laura interned for the Festival and worked as a Stage Manager. Since graduating with a degree in English Literature, Laura returned to the Festival in 2011 as Admin Assistant.
Press
Anys Williams and Anita Morris at Anita Morris Associates.
Technical Director – Richard Speight
Richard Speight of Spot-On Theatre Services handles all the Festival’s technical requirements and joins the Festival each October.
Graphic Design
Richard Honey of dg3.
Web Site Production and Maintenance
Book Sales
Book sales are handled by our on-site booksellers, The Grove Bookshop, Ilkley, an independent book shop run by Kevin Ramage, who also owns the award winning Watermill in Aberfeldy.