Following two weeks of renowned writers, poets and performers, not to mention thousands of visitors, descending on Ilkley to celebrate their shared enthusiasm for the written word, this weekend is the final chapter in the Ilkley Literature Festival.

Headline events with tickets still up for grabs include presenter of Channel 4’s Extreme A&E Doctor Kevin Fong’s talk Extremes in which he will probe the limits of our biology in punishing conditions, from Antarctic expeditions to Space Exploration, on Saturday at the Clarke Foley Centre.

There are also a handful of tickets remaining for Kirsty Wark on Saturday at the Kings Hall and for infamous politician and activist Jonathan Aitken, who will recount his 40-year friendship with Margaret Thatcher through his book Margaret Thatcher: Power and Personality on Sunday.

Other events on Saturday include New Statesman and Daily Telegraph journalist and historian Leo Hollis’ talk Ways of Seeing, in which he explores how the 21st Century will be the age of the city.

Tony White, a former writer-in-residence at the Science Museum, will talk about his latest novel Shackleton’s Man Goes South, the first work of fiction published by the Museum.

Continuing the strand of the Festival which celebrates the region’s literary greats, Keith Sagar, a close personal friend and authority on Ted Hughes, will host a special event on Saturday, on the poet’s now legendary premiere of his work Cave Birds at the 1975 Festival, revealing the back-story to his visit and premiering an extraordinary rare audio recording of Hughes reading in Ilkley.

Championing the next generation of Yorkshire writers, The Excitement of the New: A Yorkshire Showcase on tomorrow will highlight some of the best new poetry and fiction emerging from the region.

Teenagers can hear Louise Rennison – author of the popular Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging – introduce her latest instalment of the Tallulah Casey books The Taming of the Tights on Sunday at Ilkley Playhouse, while children between the age of five and 12 can enjoy a series of free craft and story-telling events as part of The Magic Story Shop on Saturday from 11am-5pm and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm at the Manor House Museum, led by author Trish Cooke and artist and crafts worker Sandra Flitcroft.

People with a passion for poetry or performance can still purchase tickets for Showstoppers, an improvised musical which wowed the Edinburgh Fringe and West Yorkshire Playhouse last year, and had a series on Radio 4 on Sunday at Otley Courthouse or attend the final festival event – the Festival Open Mic night, also on Sunday, from 8.30pm until 10pm at Ilkley Playhouse. It is a chance for anyone to perform their own piece of poetry, prose or stand-up with a £200 prize fund up for grabs.

For the full programme of events or to buy tickets visit ilkleyliterature festival.org.uk or call the box office on (01943) 816714.