Famous faces such as Brian Blessed, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Louis de Bernieres will descend on the area in late September for the Henley Literature Festival.

Over 7 days, more than 170 events will take place at the diverse festival between September 28 and October, 4 including 50 events for children,

This diversity is emphasised by the attendees, who range from politician Vince Cable to cricket commentator David Lloyd and representatives from such fields as cooking and historians.

The type of event also varies and they include question and answer sessions, talks, performances and workshops.

The festival first opened in 2006 and its audience has increased year on year since which highlights the success of the festival and the continuing importance of the arts.

The picturesque town by the River Thames was seen as a great location by Sue Ryan, who has managed to convince a wide-range of authors to visit the festival through her previous job as managing editor of The Daily Telegraph.

Henley prides itself on its small intimate venues such as Kenton Theatre, the fourth oldest theatre in the country in comparison to many literature festivals which Tom Ryan, the programming director describes as having to use “large, spread-out venues”.

Details including a full lineup for the main festival and the children’s festival and tickets can be found at www.henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk