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Cobham Literary Festival Celebrates Successful Inaugural Weekend



Cobham came alive with the sound of stories, ideas and conversation this weekend as the inaugural Cobham Literary Festival took place from 11–13 September, bringing leading authors, broadcasters, illustrators, poets and readers together for three days of literary events across the town.


Organised by The Cobham Bookshop, the first festival offered an ambitious programme designed to appeal to readers of all ages and interests, with events ranging from crime and espionage to politics, poetry, children’s literature, art, horticulture and new fiction.


The weekend opened with an impressive line-up of speakers and events, including conversations with leading authors and broadcasters, sessions for children and young readers, poetry, crime writing and discussions exploring everything from politics and history to gardens and the natural world. Among the highlights were Clare Balding and Callie Coles in Conversation with Rishi Persad, an evening with historian and author Sir Anthony Seldon, and the ever popular Alex Brycha MBE thrilling children and adults alike with his live illustrations.


With events taking place in venues across Cobham, the festival was designed not simply as a series of author talks, but as a celebration of reading, ideas and creativity at the heart of the local community. The programme brought together established names with emerging writers and offered audiences the chance to meet authors, hear their stories and discover their next favourite book. Phillip Wells, The Fire Poet brought another dimension to the festival with his wonderful interactive ‘pop up’ poetry at a variety of events across the weekend.


Community partnership at the heart of successful first festival


The organisers are particularly grateful to Downs Solicitors, the headline sponsor of the Cobham Literary Festival, whose support was instrumental in helping bring the inaugural event to life. As a new literary festival for Cobham, securing the support of a headline sponsor was an important milestone. Downs’ Solicitors commitment enabled the festival to establish an ambitious programme from its very first year, helping create a new cultural occasion for Cobham and contributing to the town’s growing reputation as a destination for books, conversation and creativity.


The partnership reflects the importance of businesses and organisations investing in the communities in which they operate and supporting initiatives that bring people together.

Amber O’Connor, Joint Managing Partner, Downs Solicitors commented:

“We were delighted to support the first Cobham Literary Festival as headline sponsor. The response from the community has been fantastic, and it has been wonderful to see so many people coming together to enjoy books, meet authors and share their enthusiasm for reading. We are proud to have played a part in helping establish what we hope will become a much-loved annual event in Cobham.”

The organisers would also like to thank the festival’s venues, partners, volunteers and everyone who attended for helping make the inaugural weekend such a success.


The strong response from audiences has provided an encouraging foundation for the festival’s future, with the organisers already looking ahead to building on the first year and bringing an even broader programme of authors and events to Cobham.


The inaugural Cobham Literary Festival marks an exciting new chapter for Cobham’s literary life, creating a new annual opportunity for readers to meet authors, discover new books and celebrate the power of stories to bring communities together.

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Croots Farm Shop products went down a storm at the Houses of Parliament when they were showcased at the bi-annual Derbyshire Food and Drinks Fair ’A Taste of Derbyshire’ hosted by Derbyshire MPs.


Croots took along some of its award-winning homemade products including pork pie, sausage roll, lemon drizzle cake, and Bakewell tart, plus a number of beers specially brewed for Croots.


The farm shop sent a team to the event, which was held in the Jubilee Room at the Palace of Westminster, after being invited to attend by Pauline Latham, Conservative MP for Mid-Derbyshire. They also met Conservative MP for Derbyshire Dales, Sarah Dines, whose constituency borders Croots.


Kay Croot, who owns and runs the farm shop at Farnah House Farm, in Wirksworth Road, near Duffield, said:

“The Taste of Derbyshire event at the Houses of Parliament was a great opportunity for us to showcase some of our award-winning products to MPs."

“It was also an excellent experience to visit such an historic and important place. We had super feedback and, as keen ambassadors of Derbyshire and the food produced in the county, we were proud to have had the chance to be part of the fair.”


Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords visited the event, including Minister of State for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake, who talked to Kay about her experience of running a small business.


“It was a good opportunity to share with him the challenges facing small businesses, such as huge energy bills, which have risen so much in recent times,” added Kay.


Croots was launched in 2008 on the farm run by Kay’s parents and is one of Derbyshire’s most popular farm shops, with a stack of awards under its belt both for the shop and its homemade products.


Croots Farm Shop specialises in selling food and drink made by local producers in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, and other nearby counties. It features products from more than 40 suppliers within a 50-mile radius – supporting many other family run businesses - and also sells a wide and expanding range of home-produced items made by the Croots team in-house. The store offers an extensive selection of food, drink, meat, cheeses and deli items, along with gift ideas, wines and spirits.


Croots Farm Shop is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. The café is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm and 10am to 3pm on Sundays.

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