Beckenham Place Park will host the inaugural BOOKS IN THE PARK literature festival on Saturday 13th April, promising a programme of author talks for adults and children, scavenger hunts, guided walks and writing workshops.
Lewisham’s largest green space, Beckenham Place Park is home to ancient woodland, a community garden and wild swimming lake. Taking nature as its theme, the festival will feature books showcasing nature’s power to inspire, heal and bring communities together.
Adult events will take place in the Mansion, an imposing Grade II listed building at the heart of the park, and children’s events will be held in the Homestead Education Centre, part of the park’s lovingly restored Homestead stables and courtyard.
Authors appearing at the festival include Guardian gardening columnist Claire Ratinon who will discuss her memoir, Unearthed; Ben Jacob, Wainwright Prize-longlisted author of The Orchid Outlaw, who will share his story of saving Britain’s rarest flowers; debut novelists Emilia Hart and Jill Johnson who will explore the magic and mystery of nature in their novels Weyward and Devil’s Breath; and author and comedian Isabel Losada who will share tips and advice on saving the planet (without preaching) from her book The Joyful Environmentalist.
For children, Marv and the Killer Plants author Alex Falase-Koya will lead an interactive session for superheroes aged 5-9; Alexandra Sheppard will share her love of nature and her new book Alyssa and the Spell Garden (ages 9-12); and Natasha Farrant will introduce The Rescue of Ravenwood and The Girl Who Talked to Trees (ages 9-12). Lewisham Libraries will also run a morning story time for young children at 9am and a scavenger hunt throughout the day.
For aspiring writers, the festival also offers poetry and fiction writing workshops, led by poet Gill O’Halloran and novelist Annie Lyons.
Local independent Beckenham Bookshop is the festival’s bookseller.
Festival director Frances Fuller said:
“Beckenham Place Park is much-loved by residents across Lewisham and Bromley and already hosts lots of great events, so we’re thrilled to be launching its first ever book festival, BOOKS IN THE PARK.
“What started as a chat among the park’s gardening volunteers has blossomed into an event that we hope will inspire local people to enjoy the park in a new way.
“We’ve pulled together a programme that we think has something for everyone – from big topics, courageous memoir and debut fiction, to an exciting children’s programme for all ages. We’re supported by some wonderful sponsors and authors who all agree Beckenham Place Park is the perfect setting for a book festival.’”
Tickets go on sale Monday 12th February and can be purchased at Ticket Source (link: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/books-in-the-park)
For more information, please visit www.booksinthepark.org or contact enquiries@booksinthepark.org
BOOKS IN THE PARK is proudly sponsored by Beckenham Bookshop, Beckenham Place Park Community Gardeners, Galliard Homes, The Homestead Café, Jumping Bean, Phoenix Community Housing, PPM Flat Maintenance, London Fire Defence, The Purelake Group, The Bromley Court Hotel, Three Hounds Bar and Brewery, The Arts Society Beckenham.
Beckenham Place Park boasts scenery of outstanding beauty. The park is home to a lake and ancient woodland and, unusually for an urban park, it features various listed buildings which are being renovated and brought back to life. The renovation of the buildings is sympathetic to the park’s heritage and provides an opportunity to offer amenities for the community and to enhance the local economy.
Beckenham Place Mansion, the venue for the adult events, is an elegant Grade II Georgian mansion offering a picturesque, historic space for weddings, private events and artist studios, alongside arts, cultural and community activities. With a welcoming bar & café and a regular programme of craft classes, yoga, food and vintage markets and more, it has a host of fun activities for all ages to get involved in. It also offers studios for creators.
Field Studies Council works together with London Borough of Lewisham to deliver education services in Beckenham Place Park. It offers a range of courses across London, and from the Homestead Education Centre at Beckenham Place Park, with two classrooms is in the 18th Century stable block with easy access to sites across the Park.
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