People’s Postcode Lottery helps the Book Festival expand

Funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery will help the book festival reach even more people next year.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival announced today that, thanks to generous support of £175,000 from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, plans were now being put in place to develop a wide-ranging programme of exciting literature events and activities outwith Charlotte Square Gardens which will focus on instilling a love of books and an enjoyment of reading for all levels of ability, all ages and all communities.

Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said “At the heart of the Book Festival is a holistic and integrated approach which aims to expand participation in literature and develop highly engaged, knowledgeable audiences. The vast majority of our events – for all ages – are participatory, making the Book Festival one of the leading forums for interaction, debate and discussion.

“We want to replicate these forums across Scotland by creating a vibrant and wide-reaching new outreach and learning initiative which will focus on engaging adults, young people and children and fostering a love of reading and words. The funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery will enable us to start work on this project early in 2015.”

Clara Govier, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery said: “I am delighted that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are now supporting the Edinburgh International Book Festival. The festival in itself is known for being one of the best in the world and it is great that funding from players will help ensure that Book Festival events reach more people across the whole of Scotland.”

By programming the widest range of events for people of all ages and backgrounds and ensuring services are of the highest quality, the Edinburgh International Book Festival creates a stimulating learning environment where exploring, experimenting and broadening one’s horizons becomes an intrinsic part of enjoying the Festival.  In August 2014 The Book Festival’s Outreach programme delivered a total of 44 events in over 40 venues across Scotland involving 29 authors and illustrators.

With the support of the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, the Book Festival will build on this expertise to give greater numbers of people access to authors and live literature events across Scotland.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest public celebration of books in the world, with 800 authors from over 40 different countries appearing in around 750 events every August. The 2015 Festival will run from 15 to 31 August and full programme details will be announced in June 2015.