Well-loved poet, songwriter and presenter Pam Ayres spoke of her love of literature as she launched the Get Barking and Dagenham Reading Festival.

The festival will feature a host of author talks, poetry readings and workshops from October 3 to 19 at various locations across the borough.

Events include a seminar on how to get published, a brief history of the First World War in pictures and poetry, a crime panel, a chick lit panel, a Dr Who seminar and a talk by bestselling author Martina Cole.

Many of the events are free but all must be booked in advance.

Pam, who has published a number of poems and often appears on radio and TV, officially launched the festival at Barking Library yesterday.

She said: “I was very pleased to be asked to launch the Barking and Dagenham Reading Festival and enjoyed meeting the many residents who came to see me.

“It is very encouraging that Barking and Dagenham is holding a reading festival; reading is such a wonderful way to escape life’s pressures and can bring such enjoyment, so I am pleased to be a part of this celebration.”

After launching the festival Pam held a workshop where she spoke about her memoir The Necessary Aptitude.

For more information on the festival visit www.lbbd.gov.uk/libraries, email libraries@lbbd.gov.uk or call 020 8724 8536.