FOR anyone in search of the latest word on the written word, then the Cheltenham Literature Festival is probably the stuff dreams are made of.

We're a lucky bunch here in Worcester - it's not every city that lives on the doorstep of the largest and most popular literature festival in Europe.

The 'lit fest' whips up a storm every year when stars of the pen and paper variety trickle through town, dropping pearls of wisdom as they go.

Just a quick jaunt down the M5 and the delights of Alexei Sayle, Fay Wheldon, Irvine Welsh, Louis de Bernieres, Paddy Ashdown and a whole host of literary glitterati are within your grasp.

And that's just a taster. You don't have to be a bookworm to appreciate the diversity of events on offer.

There are offerings from the hottest new talent, while some of our best loved public figures discuss their debut tomes - Betty Boothroyd and Stella Rimmington being just two.

This year, the theme is the shifting sands of power in all its forms, and the power writing has to change lives.

Kate Adie, George Alagiah, Sebastian Faulks, Andrew Motion, Vanessa Redgrave, John Pilger, Benjamin Zephaniah, Boris Johnson, Beryl Bainbridge, Ruth Rendell - it's not so much a line-up as a dream dinner party guest list, and that seems to be the general spirit.

With more than 400 scribes taking part, the list is endless, but brochures are available on 01242 227979 or you can log on to www.cheltenhamfestivals.co.uk

Do bear in mind that places are limited. One of my major regrets is that I missed seeing Laurie Lee before he died, but that's the joy of books - they're an unsurpassable legacy.

The festival started yesterday and runs until Sunday, October 21.