The future of Aldeburgh poetry festival has been safeguarded, after it has won significant arts lottery funding. This year’s festival from 2-4 November will be expanding into the world-famous concert facilities at nearby Snape Maltings as a result of the extra cash, according to organisers the Poetry Trust.   

That means that this year the main readings will take place in Snape’s Britten studio,  which seats 340, with a big foyer area for the bookstall and a poetry festival café with views across the Suffolk marshes.

The trust said it was “definitely not abandoning Aldeburgh. Each day will start and finish in our traditional Peter Pears Gallery and James Cable Room venues. We’re sure that most of the audience – and certainly all our festival poets – will continue to stay in the town. That’s why we’ll be running a free shuttle bus service between Aldeburgh and Snape (a 10-15 minute trip) throughout the weekend. Because we know that part of the festival magic will always include walks on the shingle, fish and chips on the sea wall, [and] browsing in the Aldeburgh Bookshop.”