AVID readers from Bridport have been meeting some of their literary idols thanks to the efforts of Annette Shaw.

Annette runs a writing business in Bridport and is the books editor at Devon Life Magazine reviewing books and visiting authors.

She said: “For a year now I’ve had the privilege of hearing the story behind the story from some of our best and most loved writers, including Felix Francis and Michael Morpurgo.”

Annette organised an event to celebrate books at Stoke Fleming near Dartmouth and took five Bridport book enthusiasts along to meet 40 other readers and writers.

The day was a sell-out, with not only the promise of meeting authors but a book giveaway - the proviso being to pass them on to people who don’t read regularly.

Best-selling author Lesley Pearse was the guest of honour. With sales of over 10m books she has a worldwide following. Other writers at the event, who also gave presentations, included Jenny Kane (Abi’s House), Jane Gill (Dance with Fireflies), Stevenson-Olds (The Human Jigsaw) and former owner of Burgh Island Tony Porter talking about his latest book Whatever Next.

Master of Ceremonies was David Scott. Former Managing Director of the Birmingham Daily News and a group of large weekly newspapers in the West Midlands, David runs a newspaper management consultancy and journalism training company. He is also an author and his books cover subjects as diverse as the changing face of the regional press and a guide to public speaking.

Wendy Thorogood from Bothenhampton presented a bouquet to Lesley.

She said: “It was a dream come true. When I was a nurse on night duty Lesley’s books kept me company in the small hours. I’ve been reading her work for years and to meet her was an real treat.”

Annette is passionate about books and the beneficial effect of reading.

She said: “There were always books in our house and my Saturday job was in the local library. Over the years books have been a comfort and an inspiration. Books have always been part of my life but that’s not the case for everyone.

“The Reading Agency, the independent charity with a mission to get more people reading more, is keen to spread the good word.

“Reading for pleasure is a globally recognised indicator in a huge range of social issues from poverty to mental health, yet in the UK 36 per cent of people don’t regularly read."