Brendan Dean looks back at the highlights of Wimbledon Bookfest 2024 and explains why the team are so passionate about supporting this highlight in the Wimbledon calendar.
It’s not every day you get to see Richard E Grant and hear him speak, at times poignantly but always with humour, about his life very well lived. People still think of him with that aura of chaos from Withnail and I (“We want the finest wines known to humanity, we want them here and we want them now!”). I was lucky enough to see him at Wimbledon Bookfest 2024 and can promise that in real life he is charming and speaks very well.
“It’s easy to forget how important it is to be immersed in books.”
That small encounter is part of the magic of Wimbledon Bookfest – you get the chance to hear the most incredible people. It is amazing the range of authors that Bookfest attracts of the highest quality. It’s our local festival for Wimbledon and Merton, but it’s also truly international. Every event is a real eye-opener, I’ve never been to a bad one. What a resource for local people — and that is before you mention Bookfest’s real focus, which is the community work it does providing opportunities for youngsters, some of whom might not have access to books at home, to gain a love of reading. It’s easy to forget how important it is to be immersed in books.
So we at Ashworths are very proud to sponsor the Bookfest, who are our neighbours across the road – in fact we helped them with the lease on their office on a pro bono basis. Our support helped to bring big names to Wimbledon Boofest 2024, like Mary Berry in October and Celia Imrie in April at New Wimbledon Theatre; but we never lose sight of the fact that it is a charity and has charitable aims all around the educational piece.
“The local community needs its annual injections of high culture, and children need the stimulation and excitement and love of learning that Bookfest brings”
Fiona Razvi who runs the Bookfest is very inspiring in pushing it forward every year despite the challenges. Like many other book festivals, they have found times difficult after one of their biggest sponsors Baillie Gifford pulled away from funding. Half of the Bookfest’s money comes from sponsorship, so Ashworths is very pleased to be part of an abiding local support base. The local community needs its annual injections of high culture, and children need the stimulation and excitement and love of learning that Bookfest brings. We have been providing financial support for Bookfest for a decade now, and in our 25th anniversary year we have no hesitation in continuing to back this jewel in Wimbledon’s crown.
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Find out what’s coming up at Wimbledon Bookfest this year.
All photos are courtesy of Wimbledon Bookfest 2024.