Hundreds get switched on to first online Llandeilo Litfest
ALMOST 500 tuned into the Llandeilo Litfest.
The event was an online affair this year due to the coronavirus restrictions and took place between April 24 and 25.
After 2020’s festival was scrapped entirely due to the pandemic, organisers began exploring various options last year on how to run the 2021 festival.
After months of preparation, Llandeilo Litfest was very much stamped in the calendar as a two-day event, albeit virtually, and proved to be a hit.
Organisers offered a varied selection of 25 sessions with local and international flavour for young and old.
Appearances came from authors including Julie Ma, who runs a Chinese takeaway in Carmarthen and won popular daytime TV couple people online Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan’s Search For A Bestseller book competition last year.
She scooped the prize for her debut book which is a fictional story about three generations of a Chinese family.
Other appearances came from Huw Davies from Carmarthen, Llandeilo-born Dr Thomas Prosser, and Menna Evans from Llansadwrn.
Carmarthen-born consultant surgeon David Nott, who has worked in several war zones, joined former First Minister Carwyn Jones and bestselling American author Richard Zimler as headline acts for the festival.
“We must thank all the authors and chairs who gave their time to keep the festival alive through the lockdown,” said committee member and owner of the Books at the Dragon Garden book shop, Mandy Thomas.
Thanks to local event company Fresh Productions the festival ran smoothly without major problems.
Festival organiser Christoph Fischer said: “It’s been a really excellent festival with a great atmosphere.”
“The feedback we had was overwhelmingly positive and I must thank the content team Heddyr Gregory, Pippa Davies, Seonaid Francis and Branwen Llewellyn-jones for having chosen such great speakers and presenters.
“Given the small number of people working on the festival they can all be very proud of themselves.”
The festival this year was sponsored by Parthian
Books and Birds Hill Rural Renewables, with some individual sessions being sponsored by local businesses.
You can still buy tickets for the sessions and get access to the recordings online for another fortnight.