Whitby Lit Fest celebrates community spirit as volunteers bring festival to life

Taking place from November 19 to 22, the four-day festival will welcome some of the biggest names in literature, television and broadcasting to Whitby, with more than 50 events taking place across the town.

Behind the celebrated authors and packed programme is the dedication of people whose generosity, enthusiasm and hard work make the festival possible.

Figures compiled from the festival's volunteer rota and trustee commitments reveal that its team will contribute an estimated 650 hours of their time – the equivalent of more than 80 eight-hour working days.

Together, volunteers and trustees will cover 125 allocated shifts and duty days, including 102 volunteer shifts and 23 trustee working days.

From welcoming audiences and supporting events, to helping visitors navigate the programme and ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes, volunteers play an essential role in creating the friendly, welcoming atmosphere that makes Whitby Lit Fest special.

Mark Williamson, Trustee at Whitby Lit Fest, hailed the volunteers as “the heart of the festival”.

He said: "People see the famous faces, the brilliant authors and the exciting events, but what they don't always see is the extraordinary amount of work and goodwill that goes on behind the scenes.

"They help us welcome visitors, support our authors and audiences, and create the wonderful sense of community that we want Whitby Lit Fest to be known for.

"We are enormously grateful to every single person who gives their time.

"Without them, we simply couldn't deliver a festival of this scale and ambition.

"We’re proud that this is a festival built on local enthusiasm, generosity and a genuine love of books and storytelling."

Returning for its second year, Whitby Lit Fest has established an ambitious programme that celebrates both internationally acclaimed writers and the town's long-standing literary connections.

This year's line-up includes Hugh Bonneville, John Boyne, Ann Cleeves, Joanne Harris, Si King, Mark Billingham and many more, with events taking place at venues throughout Whitby.

Kate Fenton, Patron of Whitby Lit Fest (and volunteer) said: “It really does pull the community together, and I realised at the very first event last year what a priceless strength it is, this festival being completely in the hands of passionately committed local people who know the town and everyone in it.

“Eleven in the morning, and I was supposed to be interviewing a lady novelist together with a guy who had compiled an anthology of poetry about the Shipping Forecast.

"To be honest, I didn’t expect this to be a big seller – a novelist no-one had heard of and a bunch of poems?

"Couple of dozen maybe? How wrong could I be.

“Soon as I walked in, a nervous hour early, I was told 98 tickets had sold. Fantastic!

"Until the chap managing the venue said they only had 73 chairs … And that was when I learned the importance of local.

"Within ten minutes, thanks to a smart committee member and volunteers, there were over a hundred chairs in that room.

“I don’t know to this day, from where they begged, borrowed or stole those chairs, but I can tell you event was a runaway success.

"As was the whole four-day festival which followed.

"And it looks as though this year, the second Whitby Lit Fest, will be even bigger and better. I can hardly wait.”

As well as bringing leading cultural figures to the Yorkshire coast, the festival aims to inspire a love of reading, encourage creativity and strengthen Whitby's reputation as a destination for literature and the arts.

Visit www.whitbylitfest.org.uk for full programme details and tickets.