Our Aims
Exploding Words Festivals is an educational charity based in the South West of England, dedicated to bringing the magic of literature to life for primary and secondary school children with particular focus on areas of under privilege.
We bring our day-long festivals to local venues across the region, immersing students in creative workshops led by renowned authors, poets, and illustrators, sparking curiosity, boosting confidence, and empowering young minds.
Who We Are
A small dedicated team of trustees, staff and volunteers with experience in education, event management and creative writing.
Building on over ten years of experience organising and running schools’ days as part of the North Cornwall Book Festival, Exploding Words Festivals has been set up to provide workshops across the county.
Our plans to cover Cornwall include festivals in St Austell, Liskeard, Penzance, Bodmin and Camborne.
We work in partnership with other local organisations in supporting both reading and creative writing.
Impact
“An Exploding Words Festival is like the happiest possible school day imaginable. I’m proud to be associated with this fantastic and cost-effective venture which I have watched first- hand bring on multiple lightbulb moments in the heads of children, teenagers and teachers alike.”
Patrick Gale, Author
In our first year, 2025, we held four festivals reaching more than 480 children and worked with 15 creatives including authors, poets and illustrators.
Our creative writing competition also involved 50 additional pupils from local primary schools and Mounts Bay Academy.
Related documents
Our commitment to safeguarding
The safety and wellbeing of the children we work with is our highest priority. We follow robust safeguarding procedures and ensure all our festival partners meet our standards.