RACHEL Feldberg is to step down as artistic director of Ilkley Literature Festival in December 2018, after 16 years in the role.

Feldberg joined the festival in 2002 and since then has grown the event to a thriving 17 day festival, welcoming leading authors, poets and writers from across the world to the town each October, as well as initiating a year-round programme of innovative education and outreach work, the much loved Children’s Festival and Words in the City poetry and spoken word weekends. In 2012, Feldberg secured the Festival prestigious National Portfolio funding status from Arts Council England. From September 2019 she will be taking the opportunity to pursue her other love, 18th century history, with a full-time MA at York University.

Reflecting on her time as director, Feldberg said: “After 16 exciting years, I will be stepping down from Ilkley Literature Festival. It has been a privilege to work for the Festival and I have enjoyed my time enormously - from our ground-breaking work with young writers, to inspiring children in schools across Bradford and Leeds and bringing incredible authors like Maya Angelou to Ilkley, I am extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve.”

She added, “Ilkley Literature Festival is a very special organisation and I will miss the wonderful community of staff, volunteers, authors, audiences and supporters that have been a part of my time here, but I will look forward with great anticipation to watching the next chapter of this creative and ground-breaking Festival.”

Festival chairman Nigel Walsh praised Feldberg as a “dynamic and innovative leader”.

“During her time as Artistic Director, Rachel’s passion and creativity have driven the Festival forward, firmly cementing our reputation as the leading literature festival in the North. Rachel is leaving a legacy of work that reaches far beyond Ilkley - from establishing our thriving Young Writers groups, to supporting the career development of new writing talent such as Andrew McMillan, and working with Simon Armitage to create the ambitious Stanza Stones trail across the Pennine Upland - not to mention leading a Festival team that presents the hundreds of amazing events that engage and inspire audiences each year.”

Ilkley Literature Festival will begin the search for Feldberg’s replacement in the new year, with the new director taking up the appointment from spring 2019.