Nine days featuring 35 speakers, the biggest attendance ever, and more than 1,000 happy youngsters made this year's Wells Festival of Literature a huge success.

Among the many highlights were gardener Carol Klein, full of fun at 80, broadcaster Stuart Maconie, and war correspondent Lyse Doucet who alone could have filled Cedars Hall twice over.

Children's author Sam Sedgman delighted his young audiences with weird and wonderful facts about writing his adventure stories, and the youngsters then queued excitedly for him to sign the books they bought.

Festival chairman Richard Manning expressed delight at this year's success. He said: "It has been the best attended festival in our 33 years, with stimulating and interesting speakers, and several sell-out events.

Broadcaster Stuart Maconie was a highlight of the Wells Festival of Literature (image by Jo Shepherd)

"Thanks to the support of our principal sponsor Chubb Bulleid, to our many other loyal sponsors, to our volunteers and to everyone who bought a ticket, we are able to continue our year-round literary projects in local schools."

Saturday's final day also featured London street bard Kit the Poet. Cedars Hall foyer rang to the sound of his ancient portable typewriter as he tapped out poems on request.

The day ended on a celebratory note with a 250th birthday tribute to novelist Jane Austen by comedian Rachel Parris who has imagined a happy ending for Pride & Prejudice character Charlotte Lucas.

It was certainly a happy ending to the festival.

Children's author Sam Sedgman delighted his young audiences (image by Jo Shepherd)