Huddersfield Literature Festival's 20th anniversary: 'It means a lot but it's important to not rest on your laurels'
As Huddersfield Literature Festival marks two decades, Laura Reid speaks to its director about putting on the event and what’s in store for this anniversary year.
Darren Henley is firm in his belief. “Culture doesn’t just make our lives better: it makes them worth living.”
It’s why the chief executive of the Arts Council England argues in his book – The Arts Dividend: How Investment in Culture Creates Happier Lives - for strategic public investment in creativity and the arts.
With the publication of its second edition last year, he said: “It’s not simply that the funding we, as a country, commit to culture returns an economic dividend, supports regeneration, creates opportunities in places that other interventions struggle to reach, and allows us to project our astonishing, creative nation onto the world stage – although it is proven to do all of these things.
"It’s that it delivers these collective structural benefits while also enriching us as individuals.”
Darren will be speaking on the matter as part of Huddersfield Literature Festival, which is returning on May 6 for its 20th anniversary year.
He’ll consider the current landscape of arts and culture across the country, offering insight into the importance and rewards of public investment in the sector and the pressing issues that are facing it.
"There’s a lot being talked about with creative health at the moment,” says Michelle Hodgson, festival director, “how arts can improve health and wellbeing – and career prospects too.
"Some of the schools we go into, they say pupils have never met an author, performer or artist before.
“Generally as well, I think the positive feeling you get at events with everyone enjoying a shared experience is really invaluable and it’s great to have that on your doorstep too.
"You tend to think of big events being in big cities but it’s really important to have things here in the town in local venues and for us not to have to travel to Leeds or Manchester or Sheffield to see a live event - and the same with children and family events too.”
Michelle has led the festival since 2013, seven years after the first edition was held back in 2006. Back then, it was more of a long-weekend celebration, she says, not a 12-day festival with fifty-plus events.
“We have made sure we develop and progress every year. We now have a proper detailed schools programme with a coordinator.
"We reached around 7,000 students with that programme through workshops and materials (this year).
"That’s very different from when I started. We’ve really developed that to reach wider audiences and to make sure the next generation engages with the festival.”
“I think it’s important to not rest on your laurels and to try and look for new ideas and make sure we’re reaching people who traditionally are underserved by arts and culture as well,” reflects Michelle, a former book publicist.
“We try to take things into local communities outside Huddersfield, not just in the town centre, and work with a lot of local community groups.”
Also key is representation, she says, with a focus on accessibility and diversity so that the festival celebrates a range of talent in the region and beyond.
Highlights this year include an evening at Huddersfield Town Hall with the bestselling novelist, stand-up comedian and much-loved star of Father Ted and Death in Paradise Ardal O’Hanlon, as well as an in conversation with the Queen of Crime Val McDermid, and The ‘Chocolat’ Experience with bestselling author Joanne Harris and chocolate-maker David Greenwood-Haigh.
There will be poetry performances from Festival Patron Lemn Sissay and Huddersfield-based Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Henley’s talk on arts and culture, and a range of political subjects tackled by the former LibDem leader Vince Cable, journalist Brian Groom and author Horatio Clare.
Emerging writers will be able to take part in creative workshops and apply to perform their work, whilst children will get the chance to meet Elmer the Elephant and read stories with SpiderMan, learn how to draw characters such as Iron Man with children’s book illustrator Chris Mould, and celebrate 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh with a storytelling session from children’s author Jane Riordan.
The festival will also include a 20th birthday party.
“It’s lovely to reach a milestone like this and I also think it reminds people that we’re here,” says Michelle, who hopes to develop a youth programme for the festival going forwards.
It’s a challenging time, however, when it comes to funding, with organisers staging two events last October to help cover the costs of this year’s festival.
“It’s definitely more challenging getting funding now than when I started,” Michelle notes. The festival has lost some of its business sponsorship due to the difficult economic climate and competition for grant funding has increased.
“It can be quite disheartening because you put a lot of effort into funding bids and you just get one line saying you weren’t successful and you don’t know why in a lot of cases...
“We really do understand it’s tough out there at the moment, it’s a difficult economic and social climate and people are tightening their belts. We just have to keep going.
"To a community festival like ours, an additional £5,000 or £10,000 a year would make a huge difference….There’s definitely some questions that need to be raised about grassroots organisations like ours and how to keep them sustainable.”
“Having said that we’ve always made sure we keep progressing and developing,” she adds. “It means a lot to be celebrating our 20th anniversary.”
- Huddersfield Literature Festival runs from May 6 to 17. Visit www.huddlitfest.org.uk