THE first Kendal Poetry Festival was a sell-out success with next year's gathering already being planned by festival co-directors, Kim Moore and Pauline Yarwood.

Pauline said they were thrilled with the outcome of the inaugural event: "Kim and I are pleased and excited by the success of the whole weekend. Abbot Hall staff were wonderful hosts, and they pulled out the stops to have the pop-up cafe open for all the events which was great for everyone." The party atmosphere of the Friday night launch, included a trumpet fanfare written (and performed) especially for the event by talented David Griffiths, and a wonderful opening reading by Young Poet in Residence, Hannah Hodgson, a gifted writer with enormous poetic potential.