Hexham Book Festival in Northumberland announces additions to the team, with Founder Director Susie Troup moving to strategic consultant role
Hexham Book Festival, the cherished annual event in Northumberland, has announced two new appointments: Olivia Chapman joins as Interim Creative Director and Sarah Davy is appointed Youth Engagement Manager.
Founder Director Susie Troup, who started the hugely successful festival in 2006, will be gradually moving to a role as a strategic consultant over the coming months.
Gil Pugh remains Festival Manager and Nessie Wise as Marketing & Communications Assistant.
Following the most successful festival yet in April/May 2024, and securing funding from Arts Council England and the Gillian Dickinson Trust to develop Hexham Book Festival, its county wide programme of work for Young People and its offer for families over the coming years, the team has expanded with two new roles.
Olivia Chapman moves into the role of freelance Interim Creative Director from November 2024 and will lead on programming, artist liaison, and organisational development for Hexham Book Festival. Olivia is a programmer and festival manager with extensive experience of book festivals across the country. She has previously worked on Women’s Prize LIVE, Birmingham Literature Festival, Durham Book Festival and BBC Contains Strong Language Festival. She has worked as a freelance chair, PR and event manager with Hexham Book Festival since 2014. She can be contacted at liv@hexhambookfestival.co.uk and on X (Twitter) at @liv_chapman.
Sarah Davy is appointed Youth Engagement Manager from November 2024, having previously been Young People’s Programmer with Hexham Book Festival. Her expanded new role includes extending and augmenting the provision of Literature Development activity in schools, libraries and community hubs across the wider county of Northumberland over and programming the Schools Festival and Family Day. Sarah can be contacted on sarah@hexhambookfestival.co.uk.
Founder Director Susie Troup, whose idea Hexham Book Festival was nearly 20 years ago, will gradually move into the role of strategic consultant over the coming months. A much-respected advocate and champion of books and reading in Northumberland and the wider book festival circuit, Susie is, for many, the face of Hexham Book Festival and her impact on the town and its cultural offering cannot be overstated.
Founder Director Susie Troup said:
“I am delighted that the festival that started as a germ of an idea in 2005, has now attained the national status it deserves and, thanks to the generous support of funders, has an exciting future ahead. It is especially gratifying that, as a result of new investment, the work with young people already supported by Northumberland County Council can continue to expand and thrive and reach more children and young people in the years to come. While I will be taking a back seat in the coming months, I plan to still be involved with HBF in a supportive role. I am especially pleased to welcome the new additions of Liv and Sarah to the team who will be working closely with Gil Pugh.”
Olivia and Sarah start their new roles in November 2024 and can be contacted through the website or on the email addresses above.
Hexham Book Festival returns for 2025: 2nd –11th May.
The HBF Schools Festival runs 25th -28th March and the HBF StoryLand will take place on 29th June.
The full programme for Hexham Book Festival 2025 will be available at www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk from late February 2025.
For more information, request specific images or to arrange an interview, please contact Olivia Chapman on 0778 605 1892 or liv@hexhambookfestival.co.uk.
