Why Raworths is expanding its Harrogate Literature Festival partnership for five more years: Simon Morris

Raworths has been a significant institution in Harrogate for over 125 years, established at a time of growth for our spa town in the Victorian era as it became a destination that brought people together for culture and relaxation.

Harrogate International Festivals (HIF) have been a more recent addition, bringing to the community a variety of music and events for more than 55 years.

Ten years ago, we took the decision to partner with the HIF team to launch the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival, which has gone on to establish itself as one of the leading literary festivals in the country, attracting best-selling authors, politicians, comedians and stars of the stage and screen here to our town to share their stories. At the time, it was a way for us to make a commitment to culture in the town and to engage with our local community by supporting this new literature event.

We had been looking for an event to champion that chimed with our clients, our people and our values as a business. Being part of, and contributing to, our local community is important to us. Literature was the obvious choice.

Over the last ten years, the partnership has developed and working together has become more important to everyone involved. For us as a business, it is about our corporate social responsibility – which we take incredibly seriously, but also it is about offering our team something more meaningful from their workplace.

Since the pandemic, it has become clear that employees are looking for a more rounded workplace environment, somewhere that focuses on their overall wellbeing.

Our partnership with the Literature Festival shows that we offer – and expect – our people to enjoy a more engaged work environment where they can broaden their knowledge and build relationships with colleagues that aren’t just work-focused, with the Festival regularly being mentioned by potential recruits during the interview process.

Our people look forward to getting involved in the Festival, including the popular Raworths Reviews, with books being snapped up as soon as HIF deliver to us a bundle of Festival titles.

The connection to our town through the Festival’s schools outreach programmes makes us all feel part of something bigger, while the diversity of authors and subjects discussed broadens all our minds.

For our clients too it has become a favourite time of year where they are able to participate in something cultural, accessible, without expectation.

Our relationships with our clients are at the heart of our business.

The Festival is one way we align with our clients, many of whom are significant contributors to the business prosperity and artistic richness of our region, and showing once again Harrogate as a place where culture brings people together.

Our involvement in the Festival is part of us now and in the future and we look forward to the next chapter.

Simon Morris is Managing Partner at Raworths Solicitors