Snapped: Literature Festival Dawn Chorus 2015

Over 300 lovers of literature congregated at Lawn Woods near Old Town in the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday to celebrate the start of the 22nd Swindon Festival of Literature and watch the sun rise. Here are TGtS' pictures...

EARLY BIRDS caught more than the worm in Lawn Woods on Monday morning, as the traditional Dawn Chorus heralded the start of 2015's Swindon Festival of Literature.

Crowds congregated at 5.30am to watch musicians, minstrels, storytellers, jugglers, performers and poets strut their stuff as the sun rose over Old Town.

Photographer Richard Wintle set his alarm to capture some great shots and you can click through his gallery, below.

The event marks the start of the 22nd Lit Fest, which runs until May 16, attracting plenty of big names.

Celebrity model-turned-runner Nell McAndrew, who has written a fitness book, joined scores of parkrunners today for a 5km trot around Lydiard Park, followed by a talk about her book in the Lydiard Conference Centre.

Making an appearance at the Wyvern on the 5th of May will be comic writer and TV personality Sandi Toksvig, who'll be answering questions about her book Peas & Queues.

Other star turns set to appear include Rory Bremmer, Helen Lederer and Tony Hawks. See the full list of the 50 events scheduled at: www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk.