Sidmouth Literary Festival postponed after railway strikes

Organisers of the Sidmouth Literary Festival have postponed the event because guest speakers have been unable to make it due to railway strikes.

In a statement the festival committee said they "have had to take the extraordinarily difficult decision to cancel this year’s Festival due to the major implications of the forthcoming train strike."

The festival was planned for Saturday and Sunday (25-26 June) however organisers thought it would be too risky to wait until the the last minute to make a decision.

Festival founder and bestselling author Jane Corry said: "We are definitely postponing the festival rather than canceling it's just a matter of finding a new date."

She added: "One of the big points of the festival was the 'how to get published' day. In the past there have been many successes in getting authors published through the contacts at the festival."

Editors from Penguin and Harper Collins have agreed to hold virtual meetings to give advice about getting published.

Jane Corry added: "We are a small festival but we have changed people's lives and we all do this completely free and it is absolutely devastating".

The festival have said that anyone who has purchased tickets will be able to get a full refund, and those who bought tickets online will be refunded automatically.

Organisers say the festival will be rescheduled as soon as a new date is chosen.