CLARE JOINS LITERARY FESTIVAL LINE-UP BRINGING ‘ISLE OF DOGS’ TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT

Clare Balding CBE has been announced as a speaker at this year’s Isle of Wight Literary Festival, bringing Isle of Dogs to the Isle of Wight. She’s been described as a ‘national treasure’ and across radio, TV and in print, Clare Balding is certainly a household name. She is a regular on Celebrity Gogglebox and can this week be found presenting Wimbledon. Clare has been at the forefront of sports presenting since 1998. She has been a key anchor at no less than 7 Olympic and 6 Paralympic Games, as well as multiple Commonwealth Games and Winter Olympics. She was awarded a special BAFTA in 2012 for her work in this area. But when she arrives on the Island this October she will be talking about her love for Britian’s favourite family pet and her latest book, Isle of Dogs. Clare has always been fascinated by the impact dogs have on our lives and their place in our national story. In Isle of Dogs, she explores the characteristics of our favourite breeds, why we’re drawn to them and what they bring out in us, from how we work to how we live. She talks to people whose everyday survival depends on their dog and those whose experience of life has been transformed by them. Clare also delves into the work professionals encounter with dogs and how we, as humans,  have made use of our canine friends’ superior senses to root out drugs, discover disease, detect bombs and rescue missing people. Other big names announced for this year’s event, to be held at Northwood House in Cowes between 3rd-6th October, include Susie Dent, Gyles Brandreth, Tracy Borman and Gen Sir Michael Jackson. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Michael Morpurgo will not now be appearing at the 2024 event.