AS autumn begins to draw in Evesham Festival of Words has plenty to keep people occupied and there really is something for everyone.

If you fancy your hand at writing (very) short stories, then there is a 30-Word Mini Saga Competition.

The competition launched on September 1 and runs for the whole month.

The theme is autumn which might make you think of misty mornings, but you could let your imagination run with a heroine or villain called Autumn.

The competition is free to enter and there are prizes for the top three entries. Full details of the Competition Rules can be found on the Festival website (www.eveshamfestivalofwords.org/Competitions).

For anyone who is missing the chance to travel at the moment, there is an illustrated Zoom talk this week.

Festival chair Sue Ablett, a popular local speaker and keen traveller, will be giving an illustrated talk on Wednesday (September 8) at 7.30pm.

Waterways of Russia describes a river cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg. There is an interesting twist in the tale of this talk but don’t worry, you don’t have to wait til the end – as Sue will tell you what it is right at the start!

Tickets for this event are £4, and can be bought online with payment by Paypal at the Festival website/Programmes.

Still on the theme of travel, there is a live event on Friday, September 17, at 2.30pm when Tony Conder will be giving an illustrated talk entitled The Railway Travellers Handy Book 1862.

Tony is well known to various groups in Evesham and is another very popular local speaker.

He describes this as “a railway talk based on the change in habits and manners that the railways brought about for Victorian society.

"It illustrates what train travel was like for the Victorians, at its heart is the Handbook published to help Victorian men help their women folk understand the meaning of timetables and how to ensure your place in society was upheld even on a train.”

Tickets for this event, which takes place in Hampton Community Hall, are £6, including soft drinks and cake. As above tickets can be purchased online from the Festival website.

Anyone wishing to attend the Zoom talk or Tony Conder’s event who doesn’t use Paypal, should contact Sue Ablett direct on 0787 1285606 or email info@eveshamfestivalofwords.org.