Entertainment Swindon

The BloodShed Crime Fiction Festival 2024 is the first of its kind in Swindon, as far as we know! Say organisers.

It’s designed to be an interactive festival, with published crime authors from across the UK giving panel interviews and delivering writing workshops to all attendees. It should be a fun, informal festival, where everyone can relax and talk about a genre we all love. The final afternoon features a Readers vs Authors Mystery Solve, where those who write mysteries for a living and those who read them closely can test to see who solves it first!

The team at the Delta Hotels Marriott Swindon have been excellent supporters of The BloodShed. The venue has step-free access and ample parking, and will be a fantastic setting for the festival – we look forward to sharing photographs of our eco-friendly, locally made, crime themed props, and the meticulously planned event set up!

Our line-up is extremely exciting, including (among others) Tom Hindle, Chris Lloyd, and Phoebe Morgan – and we are especially excited to welcome Eleanor Barker-White, local debut author of My Name Was Eden, published earlier this year by HarperNorth.

Panels will include Historical Crime Fiction, Psychological Thrillers, and Police Procedurals – we hope there will be something for everyone!

Waterstones will be providing a book stall throughout the weekend, and every participating author will be available after panels to sign their books.

We offer tickets at a lower price than most UK crime festivals, and further concessions may be available by contacting accessfund@swindonstoryshed.co.uk. Any profits will go towards funding Swindon Story Shed’s literacy project for another year!

In order to be able to do this, we are still seeking festival sponsors – and because all our marketing is designed by our partners, brilliant local company Nick Pavone Creations (and printed by excellent local business Mike Horan Printing Ltd) we can add logos to any posters/flyers very quickly!

Tickets are available now and all author info is available at: Click HERE. 

Sponsors Links:

Nick Pavone Creations, click HERE.

Mike Horan Printing, click HERE.

Swindon Story Shed aims to bring the bookshop experience to under-served areas, with a focus on community, literacy, and accessibility.

Our workshops provide opportunities for storytelling and using own voices through art, sound, creative writing, and drama.

All profits from secondhand book sales go towards providing resources for our workshops, including free spaces so no one will ever be excluded based on their finances.

Swindon Story Shed launched in March 2024 as a small independent business, and since then, we have:

– Operated a travelling bookshop in community spaces across Swindon.

– Given away over 600 books for all ages, absolutely free!

– Provided workshops in art, sound, and creative writing.

– Identified areas of high literacy need with the help of the National Literacy Trust Swindon.

– Sponsored Parker’s Books for their very successful hide-a-story campaign over the summer.

– Donated prizes to local schools and community groups for summer fete activities.

– Provided children’s half-term art and story-making activities in the Swindon Designer Outlet Village.

– Worked with Swindon Libraries to deliver Manga workshops, Puppet Making sessions, and PaintFest fun!

– Worked with several local Parish Councils to deliver more free workshops in venues across Swindon, which will continue into the new year.

– Visited a retirement village to develop a collective biography project.

– Organised a successful author event with children’s author and library patron Steve Antony, in Freshbrook Community Centre.

– Delivered a very colourful bookstall at Swindon & Wiltshire Pride 2024, with free Rainbowsaurus themed activities.

– Been invited to provide the bookstall at Pride in Gloucestershire on 14th September.

– Become members of The Booksellers Association.

– Met so many wonderful and inspiring people!

Tickets are available now and all author info is available at https://www.swindonstoryshed.co.uk/the-bloodshed/