SWINDON FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE: EARLY risers were treated to a glorious sunrise at the traditional dawn chorus.

A bleary-eyed, 300-strong crowd gathered at Lawn Woods at 5.30am yesterday to launch this year's Swindon Festival of Literature.

As the sun came up, pipers played and visitors watched fire juggling and danced around a maypole.

According to festival organiser Matt Holland, it was the best chorus yet.

"After being woken by thunder, I was up at 3.30am to see a clear starless night," he said.

"The birds had just started singing as we set everything up.

"As the day got clearer, pipers played as the giant orange orb rose over Queen's Drive down in the valley below.

"It was the most glorious dawn chorus in our 12 years, and a great start to what promises to be a fantastic festival."

The festival kicked off a few hours later with sports writer Simon Barnes at the Arts Centre.