PLANS are being put in place to bring SCRIBE Literary Festival back to Middlewich early next year, with a new and exciting format combining the event with a town favourite.

The festival will be condensed down to three action-packed days, with organisers at Middlewich Vision in the process of compiling a list of performances and activities.

Last year saw the festival cancelled in October due to a lack of funding and management difficulties, but it is set to return on Thursday, March 23 through to Saturday, March 25 where it will combine with the Makers’ Market.

Bev Cope, Middlewich Vision action plan manager, said: “Project managing something like we did is very consuming but we now have a couple more volunteers on board.

“We cancelled it in part based on finance, and also the sheer time in pulling the previous one together.

“We had a meeting a few weeks back and decided to run it over three days and compact it, based on people’s responses.

“We will combine it down, and I think it will work better based on the many, many comments we got. We handed out feedback forms after every event.

“It’s really exciting times.”

With more details to be confirmed in the New Year, planned activities at this stage of planning include a cartoon zone, open mic reading sessions, short story competitions, a treasure trail and an awards ceremony.

There will also be appearances from a Beano cartoonist and Terry and Monica Darlington, with more to be announced in the coming months.