THE Winchester Poetry Festival is calling for volunteers to help at its live events weekend next month.

Taking place from October 8-10 at Winchester Discovery Centre, volunteers will help with meeting and greeting visitors, stewarding events, helping in workshops, setting up signing sessions, moving furniture, giving out poetry sheets and checking tickets.

No previous experience in volunteering is required making it an excellent opportunity. Festival organisers are asking for volunteers to be punctual, reliable, practical, hardworking and enjoy dealing with people. Full training will be provided.

The festival, which takes place every two years, includes familiar events such as Things Being Various featuring Irish poet and Professor of Poetry, Paul Muldoon. There will be readings and performances by the Liz Berry, Patience Agbabi, and Romalyn Ante, as well as with Hampshire Poet Kathryn Bevis, and Winchester Muse.

Madelaine Smith, festival manager, said: “The Winchester Poetry Festival has had the support of a brilliant team of volunteers since our first festival in 2014. As we return to live events after a tough 18 months, we hope to build our volunteer team to help with the running of the 2021 festival.”

Full details and an application form can be found on the festival website www.winchesterpoetryfestival.org/volunteers or by emailing hello@winchesterpoetryfestival.org.