TODAY is the last day of what looks like being the most successful Swindon Festival of Literature in the festival's decade-long history.

Festival goers have had the opportunity to see and hear figures as diverse as Magnus Magnusson, Kate Adie, Edwina Currie, Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri, philosopher AC Grayling, and comedy cabaret troupe the Chipolatas.

Festival director Matt Holland was today preparing to oversee the final two events an appearance by poetry publisher Neil Astley and the sold-out Poetry Slam and last night party at the Town Hall in Regent Circus.

And when the final box office figures are calculated, Matt expects to find that more than 5,000 people have attended the 50 events more people and more events than ever before.

Of those 50 events, a dozen were sellouts with standing room only.

Matt also praised the coverage in the Evening Advertiser, a longstanding major backer of the festival.

He said: "People have been telling me that because the festival was so long 17 days and because there were so many events that they couldn't get to them all because of work commitments or whatever, they have been following it in the Evening Advertiser.

"I look back and I know that, although I have loved every one of the previous nine festivals, there is something special about this one it is positively magical.

"I think it is to do with the sheer range of experiences we have offered audiences this year, from readings by the Poet Laureate to an appearance by a table tennis champion.

"The receipts are looking good. There have been some events where we have had a small audience, but overall we have had a dozen sellouts, which is more than usual.

"Audience figures overall are definitely up, although we don't have the full details yet.

"I would say well over 5,000 people have been to festival events this year, hundreds more than last year, which was the most successful festival to date."

Asked to name his highlights of this year's festival, Matt said there were almost too many to consider.

He added: "The first highlight was at the launch of the festival the dawn chorus in Lawn Woods.

"It was the moment when, at 5.33am, the Swindon Scratch Choir were singing The Sun is Rising and this great orange orb appeared above Queen's Drive and rose on the horizon."

Matt also named the acclaimed appearance of poet UA Fanthorpe and co-reader RV Bailey at the museum and art gallery in Bath Road as a highlight, along with Ben Okri's sellout appearance at the Town Hall in Regent Circus.

Matt said: "Ben told the audience, 'any of you who want to be writers, let me remind you little things is where mastery begins, making a few words say a lot'."

The director also fondly recalls Polish poet Anita Debska charming the audience with her love poems by saying in her slightly imperfect English: "I'm giving you love poems but making love through a microphone I'm not used to!"

Still another highlight was when Andrew Motion said he felt his appearance at the Arts Centre was the best performance he had given in a long time.

And on a personal note, Matt said he was delighted when his 15-year-old son, Jacob, beat visiting table tennis writer Jerome Charyn and managed to give visiting British number one player Matthew Syed a good game as well.

But there were lows as well as highs.

A regular helper at the festival, known as Flicky Flowerstick, died of a liver infection in Canada. Vicky, 30, from Somerset, had been unable to attend this year's festival because of her visit to family on the other side of the Atlantic.

Asked what next year's festival might hold, Matt simply said: "I have got a file full of people who were not able to appear this year, but who have asked me to contact them about appearing next year.

"The first thing I shall do on Monday morning is open that file."