THE WHOLE of Cirencester is 'pulling together' as a festival comes to the town for the first time later this year. 

Cirencester History Festival is set to run from Saturday, October 26 until Sunday, November 3. 

Organisers say the festival will feature an 'exciting' programme of local, national and global history including a core programme of talks plus a creative fringe full of crafting, workshops, cookery classes, storytelling, dressing up and Halloween fun.

Headline speakers already confirmed include Jonathan Dimbleby, Natalie Haynes, Janina Ramirez, Ronald Hutton and Marc Morris with many more to be announced over the coming weeks.

Festival producer, Jess Yarrow, said: "We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of people wanting to collaborate with us in our inaugural year.

"It feels like the whole town has pulled together to make this festival happen.

(Image: Crumps Barn Studio) "We have an exciting programme of family events provided by the New Brewery Arts, The Barn Theatre, Cotswold Cookery School, Octavia’s Bookshop, the Corinium Museum, Waterstones, Crumps Barn Studio, The Library and Chedworth Roman Villa – many of these are free.

"The RAU’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Mark Horton (an eminent archaeologist familiar to many from his stints on Time Team and Coast) is providing us with a fascinating talk, as is Martin Papworth who led the recent North Range excavation at Chedworth Roman Villa.

"The National Trust is even lending us some of their living historians!’

Gloucester History Festival president Dr Janina Ramirez says she is thrilled to be speaking at the opening weekend of the new Cirencester History Festival this autumn.

She said: "It was always our ambition at Gloucester History Festival to grow and spread what we have learned - that bringing pride in our city's culture and history can promote unity and renewal - to other parts of the region.

"By partnering with Cirencester History Festival together we can bring about an even greater platform to encourage a love of the past and a forum for exploring the issues that affect us in the present and on into the future.

"We cannot move forward until we learn where we have come from.

"That's what makes history the mother subject.”