New chief has 'ambitious plans' for book festival

The new chief executive of the festival at Scotland's national book town says she has ambitious plans to tap into its "huge potential".

Isla Rosser-Owen will take up her post in Wigtown in August.

The Dumfries and Galloway town won a competition to become the country's book town in 1997 and held its first festival a year later.

Ms Rosser Owen - who previously worked as its cultural producer - said she was looking forward to "stepping back into a creative adventure".

Wigtown Book Festival was started in a bid to help revive the fortunes of the town.

It celebrated its 25th anniversary a couple of years ago but has recently gone through a period of change.

It was confirmed a long-standing sponsorship deal with Baillie Gifford was coming to an end last year following pressure from climate change protesters.

Earlier this year, its director Adrian Turpin announced that he would be stepping down after the 2025 festival.

The company is also moving to new offices in the town.

Ms Rosser-Owen - who began her career as an editor in the publishing industry specialising in Middle East studies - said she was relishing the challenge of taking the festival forward.

"It has an offbeat brilliance and charm that audiences can lose themselves in," she said.

"For me, returning to Wigtown feels like stepping back into a creative adventure and I'm absolutely thrilled to be back in this wonderfully unique place tucked away in south-west Scotland.

"I'm so looking forward to the organisation embracing its huge potential over the next few years.

"We have some ambitious plans ahead and I can't wait to get stuck in and help shape what comes next."

The full festival programme for this year will be unveiled next month after she takes over from interim chief executive Andrew McConnell.

At the same time Anne Barclay, the current operations director, will take on new role aiming to maximise support for the people and economy in and around Wigtown.