Specsavers to sponsor CrimeFest for three years

CrimeFest has announced a three-year deal with Specsavers, "marking a thrilling new chapter for the prestigious festival as it enters a second decade".

The sponsorship will see a new league of headline authors and introduce a wider audience to the festival, CrimeFest said. The 2019 festival will run from 9th to 12th May at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel.

CrimeFest host and co-founder Adrian Muller said: “A decade after CrimeFest’s launch we are delighted to welcome Specsavers’ support. Through their involvement we hope CrimeFest will continue to expand and grow to new levels, develop our outreach to Bristol’s community, and to continue to create thrilling events for our loyal attendees."

Dame Mary’s Perkins, Specsavers’ founder, said: "As a personal fan of a blood-curdling read and my own personal connection to Bristol, we’re thrilled to be supporting CrimeFest for the next three years.

"We’re very proud to be involved in this annual showcase of world class crime fiction and look forward to building on the profile CrimeFest has already created, while also growing the community activity to help make reading accessible to everyone.”

Last year CrimeFest celebrated its 10th anniversary by teaming up with publishers to give away 4,000 crime novels for free all over the country.