A FESTIVAL bringing together the power of the written word and the word of God is to be held in Oxfordshire.

Bloxham Faith Fest will be a literary festival with a theological slant.

Big names ranging from author PD James to Fr Michael Seed – the priest credited with bringing Ann Widdecombe and Tony Blair into the Roman Catholic faith – are scheduled to appear in the event at the village near Banbury.

All events will take place in St Mary’s Church, apart from a first night supper in the primary school.

The festival was the idea of St Mary’s vicar the Rev Sarah Tillett and Banbury MP Tony Baldry, who lives in the village and is part of her congregation.

The speakers will include EastEnders scriptwriter Tony Jordan, who wrote last Christmas’s The Nativity, a dramatisation of events leading to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Miss Tillett said: “I approached him because I was really excited about what he had done with The Nativity and I thought he would be a good draw for the festival.”

As well as speakers and writers with an Anglican flavour, such as the Rt Rev John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford, and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s wife, Dr Jane Williams, there will be some from the Roman Catholic tradition and further afield.

Rabbi Lionel Blue will take to the pulpit for one of the events.

Miss Tillett said: “We didn’t set out for it to be a wholly Christian event. It is a literary festival with a theological slant.

“We chose people because we thought they would be interesting.”

The Snow Geese author William Fiennes, whose family lives at nearby Broughton Castle, will be among the speakers, along with Lord Michael Dobbs of House of Cards fame.

The festival will come to a close with a songs of praise performance featuring the Hook Norton Band.

Mr Baldry said: “While the festival is about issues relating to faith, that is quite a broad concept, and includes things like pilgrimage, good and evil.

“This will be a real opportunity both to hear a number of mainstream writers, like PD James, but also really interesting religious and political commentators.”

The festival runs from October 28 to 30.

Tickets for some services are free.

Prices for other events range from £15 for a single talk to £70 for an early-bird weekend ticket.

For details and tickets, visit bloxhamfaithfest.co.uk